Inferno
by Dani-L94
Summary: Cesca/Jonah fanfiction.. partial storyline from show, mostly my own. Please review x
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone, this is my first attempt at a fanfic, i hope you all enjoy it. Sorry this first chapter is a little boring but i promise it shall get better :)

**Inferno**

**Cesca**

Cesca never really was a morning person. Back in Spain, you'd be lucky to see her awake before 11am. The fact that she was awake, dressed and reasonably coherent at 8:30am, roaming the corridors of Waterloo Road to her classroom was a marvel, and completely down to her good friend caffeine. Although, for a Monday morning, her timetable wasn't half bad; double year 12 boys.

"Good Morning, Miss Montoya." flashing his pearly white teeth and his signature grin stood a tall, dark and handsome Jonah Kirby, the only one on time out of a class of 25.

"Good Morning, Jonah. Come on in." she smiled pleasantly at him before dropping several folders on the floor, quietly cursing to herself.

Both Jonah and Cesca hurriedly crouched down to collect the scattered paper, in the process bumping heads and knocking each other off of their feet.

"I am SO sorry Jonah" she said giggling a little, while rubbing her now throbbing forehead with the palm of her hand.

Jonah collected the rest of the paper and folders, got to his feet and gentlemanly held his hand out to help her back up.

"It's alright Miss. No harm done" he said laughing "although, you don't half have a hard head" he smirked, sarcastically rubbing his own head.

They both entered the classroom and Jonah placed all of her belongings onto her desk.

She smiled, "Well keep that in mind next time you hand your coursework in late" They both laughed as the other students began to enter the classroom. Jonah went to take his seat as Cesca addressed the class and set them the tasks for lesson.

The class got on with the objectives set which gave her mind chance to wander. It was safe to say there was something different about him, he was a lot more mature than any of the other students, maybe it was the home schooling. Clever too, bordering on genius. When she spoke to him, he gave her his full attention, not 'teenage attention', where their body is there but their mind is elsewhere.

Before she knew it, the bell has rung signifying second lesson. '_Did I just spend an entire hour thinking about Jonah Kirby?_' she thought to herself.

She mentally shook herself and turned her attention back to the class who were all looking up intently at their beautiful Spanish teacher, waiting for further instruction.

The second hour seemed to be flying by as quickly as the first. She was deliberately occupying her mind by marking essays to keep her mind off a certain person in the back row.

"Miss Montoya?" said a confused but familiar voice

"Yes, Jonah?" she replied

"Could you help me with the extension task? It's a little confusing"

At that moment the bell for break time rang, the rest of the class left the room rather hastily, leaving Cesca and Jonah alone in the class room once again. She sat next to him and went through the task with him.

"Jonah, I've noticed that you struggle a little with your translations. Maybe you would benefit from one to one tuition, say at lunch times?"

She hadn't even realised what she was saying, his translation was fine, above average to say the least.

"Sure Miss, if you think it will help" he said while packing away his things. He began to leave the room before turning around "See you at lunchtime then" he said with a smile.

She smiled back and sighed a little.


	2. Chapter 2

**Cesca**

There was a feint knock at her classroom door, to be expected it was Jonah showing up for their impromptu tuition session. Cesca had decided that they would begin with conversation, in Spanish of course, about family, friends, holidays and hobbies. They sat opposite each other at one of the desks, talking over lunch. She found out a lot about him, he found out a lot about her, and they both liked what they heard.

"So, what do you enjoy doing?" she asked, intrigued to find out more. At this point the Spanish had gone out of the window.

"Well, I rather enjoy talking to my favourite Spanish teacher" he said with a cheeky grin

She giggled "Alright I think that's enough for today, 3 hours of Spanish, poor you" she joked.

"It's not all bad, I got to spend time with you" he said rather shyly "Same time tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure, see you tomorrow" she replied with a smile.

With that he left the room. Cesca sat back at her desk, absent mindedly playing with her hair, looking towards the pile of coursework she should be marking, but instead she thought back over their conversation, at his subtle flirting, wincing slightly at the memory of her acceptance and return of the flirting. '_This has to stop' _she thought to herself, but in her heart she knew she wouldn't be able to. They have a connection, that much is sure, and they clearly enjoyed each others company. Why couldn't it be a simple boy meets girl story?

She hated herself for feeling this way, and was in desperate need of a distraction. '_Chris? Maybe, he's kinda cute and funny'_ she thought '_Or maybe Tom, hell even Grantly is better than..'_ she sighed loudly which didn't go unnoticed by her bestfriend, Adanna. She was sat in the staffroom at this point with no lessons left for the day.

"What's up lovely? Tell auntie Adanna" she joked, sitting next to her best friend and placing an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh erm.. Nothing really just got a lot on my mind at the minute" she replied as honestly as she could. It was true, she did have a lot on her mind, she didn't necessarily have to be specific about what or _who_ was on her mind.

"Well im here if you need to talk, yeah?" she said with an understanding smile, " So where were you at lunchtime? We missed out on our midday gossip"

Cesca laughed, Adanna really did know how to cheer her up. In such a short time they had become such good friends, and spoke like they had known each other their whole lives. They had a friendship many would envy, which is why it was so hard for Cesca not to spill all about her unsure feelings? If that's what you could call them, for a certain 6th former.

"I was helping Jonah Kirby with his translations" she smiled weakly. At that moment the end of school bell rang to Cesca's intense relief. All she wanted to do now was go home, kick off her heals and have a lovely relaxing soak in the tub.

She was in her own little world as she walked towards the main doors of Waterloo road, which is probably why she bumped into a tall solid figure.

"Sorry" she muttered, still not fully with it.

The figure turned around, and sure enough it was the person who had been the main topic of her thoughts all day,_ Jonah_.

"We have to stop meeting like this Miss Montoya" he said with a smile which she couldn't help but smile back at. He had this infectious energy about him, no matter what mood you were in – he would put a smile on your face just by being there.

"I was thinking.." he continued "I was going to try my hand at off the curriculum translations, you know, like outside of school, but I still might need your help. Is there a way I could get in contact with you? Like and email address or phone number? It would really help me out a lot." She knew exactly what he was doing, but for some reason she decided to pretend it was purely school related.

"Sure, Got a pen?" she said as she retrieved a scrap piece of paper from her bag. She quickly wrote her mobile number onto the piece of paper and went to place it in his hand but took it away just as quick. "On two conditions. 1, no giving this out! I could do without getting prank calls off of your classmates" she joked.

"and the second?" he asked

"no texting before 8am or after 11pm, a girl needs her beauty sleep" she giggled, placing the paper in his soft, warm hands.

"I find that hard to believe" he winked, turning around and walking towards the gates.

She smiled to herself, flattered by his comment, as she walked towards her blue Clio.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to WaterlooRoadFanFiction for their lovely comment, hope you enjoy the next chapter of inferno.

**Jonah**

Jonah didn't really consider himself as a flirty kind of guy, but there was just something about her that made him lose his self-control. Although to his surprise, she appears to have lost hers too. She has this uncanny hold over him, one of which he is unsure whether or not to fight. He's not stupid, far from it in fact, he knows that this attraction is immoral,_ Forbidden_, but everything about her, every single little detail, eradicates this guilt from his mind, he simply can't help himself. When she is near, it's like all logical thought processes in his mind such as '_this is wrong'_ or _'she's my teacher'_ are washed away with corrosive acid, his mind then fills with Miss Montoya and only Miss Montoya.

He debated with himself whether or not to text her. It had only been a few hours since they last spoke, he didn't want to seem too eager, but at the same time he longed for conversation with her. Little did he know that roughly 5 miles away Cesca was experiencing similar feelings, hoping he would contact her but at the same time worrying over the implications it was cause her. Personal contact outside of school such as that is teetering on the edge of wrong.. Surely if its school related and if it's going to help him succeed that makes it a little better right? On many occasions they both found themselves looking for excuses to condone their behaviour, it put their restless minds at ease somewhat for a while.

He slumped down onto his bed, his face buried deeply into his pillow, the eternal battle between head and heart still raging on. He fell into something akin to sleep. When he awoke a couple of hours later, it was dark outside. He fumbled on his bedside table for his clock, 9.00pm. It was then that he had a single moment of clarity, she wouldn't have given him her phone number if she didn't want him to put it to use. He again fumbled on his bedside table, but this time it was in search of his phone. Once he had found it, he opened up a new message. 'Hey miss, it's Jonah. Sorry to text so late, but I was just reading 'El amor en los tiempos del cólera' and wondered what you made of it?' he knew it sounded stupid and it wasn't at all like what he actually wanted to say, but they had to take baby steps for now. His thumb hesitated over the send button, shaking slightly. He had never been nervous sending a text before, but he knew this was different. He plucked up the courage to send it, so now it was just the waiting game.

His mind was going a hundred miles per hour. So many 'What if's' circling in his head. Minutes seemed like hours. It felt like he had waited a lifetime for her reply when in reality it was only about 10 minutes. He had just about given up when his phone vibrated on his bed, of course it was _her_, his Spanish teacher.

It read; 'Nice to hear from you, but Jonah, we are outside of school, call me Cesca. I'm impressed that you are reading it, it's one of my favourite books :) and Gabriel García Márquez, my favourite author. I think it shows the struggle in the name of love between Florentino and Fermina, wouldn't you agree?'

They text or called each other at least once a day for the next 3 weeks, growing closer and closer by the day, education becoming less and less prominent in their conversations until eventually it was non-existent, along with the student-teacher barrier. They spoke now like friends, he valued this friendship, as did she. Although beneath every spoken or written word, was an undercurrent of emotion neither could name. Their conversations were riddled with subtle flirtatious comments (from both parties now, not just Jonah) and uncontrollable giggles, mostly from Cesca.

They no longer partook in the lunch time tuition sessions as they were no longer necessary, not that they were in the first place, but instead Cesca sat in the staffroom glued to her phone, with Jonah glued to his in the 6th form common room at the other end of the corridor. Both isolated from the real world, from their friends, but instead co-existing in a world that was uniquely theirs. A world they had both grown rather fond of, a world that was slowly becoming their 'normality'.

A world where anything was possible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Cesca**

It was Friday afternoon, Cesca's favourite time of the week. It meant that she could go home and relax, maybe even treat herself to a cheeky lie in. She smiled to herself at the prospect, "Someone's happy" this came from Tom, he walked towards her placing two cups of coffee on the table in the staffroom, startling her slightly out of her reverie. "What's not to be happy about? It's Friday!" she said with a big grin, taking a sip from the coffee he just gave her. "I know Ces, but you've been like this for weeks" he laughed "So who is he then?" he said raising his eyebrow.

She really valued Tom's friendship, he made her laugh and certainly made staffroom life a lot more entertaining, she wouldn't be able to have cope with Grantly wittering on about the injustice of horseracing after he lost yet another bet on the latest race without him. Admittedly, they went through a bit of a rough patch a while back. Tom had feelings for her but the feelings sadly weren't returned on her part. It still got awkward from time to time, both of them sometimes unsure how to act around each other, but they were powering through

"What do you mean 'Who is he?' " She asked. " Well correct me if I'm wrong but you've been glued to that mobile of yours with the cheesiest grin on your face for at least a month now, and you're telling me there is no man involved? Suuuuure" he replied sarcastically, and in all fairness he was kind of half way right. Her cheeks turned a familiar shade of red and she playfully slapped his arm. "So, plans for the weekend?" she asked giggling slightly and in an effort to change the subject. "Well actually now you come to mention it, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go for a drink later, just the two of us?" Her face dropped, which didn't go unnoticed by Tom "Oh God no! Not like that! I just meant so we would have chance to catch up properly, it seems like forever since we've had a good chat" he said with a reassuring smile. Her features returned to their normal shape and she shot him a friendly smile in return "I didn't think you meant like that" she lied "that would be lovely, meet you at the pub at 6?" she asked. "Sounds good, see you then. Bye Ces!" he said as he gathered his belonging's before heading out the door.

She breathed a sigh of relief, it's not that she didn't like Tom; she really did but only as a friend. Having a drink couldn't be that bad right? She has been a bit preoccupied lately. At that moment her phone buzzed in her pocket. '_Talk of the devil'_ she thought, giggling to herself slightly. She answered his call almost immediately; she shamefully missed his voice and well, him. She didn't quite understand what was going on between them, but at the same time, she wouldn't give it up for the world. "Hey, how's your day been? Feels like we haven't spoken in ages" she could hear the smile in his voice, she knew it was strange that she could, but they had spoken to each other often enough for her to know, she quite liked that little things like that were becoming familiar. "Hey, it hasn't been that long I only saw you a few hours ago" she giggled "and not too bad thanks, looks like I'm going out with tom later too" "Oh… well erm, I hope you have fun" she could tell he was slightly disheartened, and even though they aren't romantically involved, she still felt the need to reassure him, set the record straight. "Not like that just as friend's" she smiled to herself, it's quite sweet really that he cares about her "Well I hope you have fun all the same" he appeared to have perked back up to his usual self, she smiled. "Well I better go, it's a criminal offence to drive and talk on a mobile y'know" they both laughed "So I'll maybe speak to you later?" "Sounds good, Speak to you later Ces!" and with that they both hung up.

The time was soon approaching 6:15. Tom was stood waiting outside the pub for Cesca to arrive, but as always she was late, or 'fashionably late' as she liked to call it. Eventually she arrived and they both went inside, "You grab us a table and I'll grab the drinks, white wine right?" he asked "that's perfect thanks" After about an hour of laughing and joking a familiar face walked into the bar, well not so familiar to Cesca but Tom introduced him as Nate Gurney's father, he really didn't look too happy. Tom offered to buy him a drink, while he was distracted with Mr. Gurney, she took the opportunity to text Jonah. After that everything was a blur, she remembers seeing tom writhing on the floor in pain and Mr. Gurney making a quick exit. Then Tom insisting she take him home not to the hospital. She then cleaned him up at his house with her incredibly basic first aid knowledge and left him to spend time with his son. When she got into the safe confines of her Renault Clio, she finally let her emotions get the better of her. She needed to be strong earlier on for Tom's sake, she couldn't let him see her upset, it wouldn't have helped anyone. Yet now, while she sits outside the Clarkson home in her car, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably, she is in need of someone to be strong for her, someone to pull her back from the emotional brink she is on. She managed to momentarily compose herself, just long enough to speak to him and tell him her address. There was a high amount of concern in his voice that under better circumstances would have flattered her, he said that he would be right over which she appreciated.

Right now she _needed_ him, needed him to reassure her, to comfort her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Cesca**

She was sat on the bottom step of her stairs, waiting for him to knock the door. She was still distraught and felt distinctly unsafe in the large house alone, but the tears had subsided for now. She heard the familiar crunching of her gravel driveway then two strong knocks on the door. Her heart leapt slightly in anticipation, as she pulled back the latch on her door.

There stood her knight in shining armour who, once he caught sight of her tear stained face, he immediately pulled her into a warm, much needed embrace. As soon as his muscular arms encircled her delicate frame, she was overcome with an unfathomable feeling of protection, of comfort, but most of all, she felt safe. He held her close with one arm while gentle closing the door with the other, he didn't leave her side for one moment as they manoeuvred their way into her living room. He uttered soothing words into her ear as she sobbed into his chest, leaving tear stains all over his top.

After a while, her tears subsided, but neither let go of the other, his arm around her lower back and his hand stroking her hair, her head buried deep into his chest and her arms around him, an onlooker would describe them as a young couple caught up in the first blaze of love, but this was different.

"Ces?" he whispered, she looked up at him, even though her makeup was streaky, her hair was hanging in limp strands and her face was slightly puffy from the crying, she was still the most beautiful person he had ever seen. "Yeah?" she replied weakly "What exactly has happened?" she immediately buried her head back into his chest, as though she was trying to hide from the nights events. If she told him, it would make it real; mean that it really did happen. She had to tell him though; he was clearly worried and confused. In all fairness if your Spanish teacher called you in tears without giving you a reason, you would probably want an explanation too. He waited patiently for her reply, not wanting to pressure her into telling him, it was clearly difficult for her.

"I-I-I was out with Tom… I mean Mr Clarkson" tears began to well in her eyes as she recalled the events; he gently wiped them away with his thumb. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I understand, I just want to make sure you weren't hurt that's all" he said to her reassuringly. "N-No I'm fine, it was Tom that g-got hurt not m-me" she stuttered through her newly formed sobs. Tears once again flooded her face, like a dam bursting unleashing a raging river. "It was horrible Jonah, I've never seen anything like it" He pulled her closer to him once more "It's okay, shhh, you're safe now" he whispered to her in an effort to subside her tears.

They stayed in this embrace for around half an hour until he heard her stomach rumbling "hungry?" he asked with a smirk, she giggled slightly and nodded. "Well I could cook you something if you want?" he asked "But what about you? You must be hungry too" "Nah, I'm okay, it's you I'm concerned about" he said with a smile that she couldn't help but smile back at " I insist, you've been amazing tonight, the least I can do is offer you food… that you're going to cook" she said with a grin.

After cooking spaghetti bolognaise, and talking over dinner, they ended up back on her sofa. The time was fast approaching 11pm, but neither had realised, they were too engrossed in conversation about, well, everything. Cesca glanced down at her watch and gasped at the time, "Jonah its 11 o'clock! Shouldn't you be heading home? Your dad will be worried" "Well I was thinking that…erm… that maybe I could stay here?" her eyes widened, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to interpret it, "Not like that! I meant on the sofa, just to give you piece of mind during the night" he reassured her, her facial features rearranged into a friendly smile. "That's really sweet of you Jonah but I can't expect you to do that for me" "you're not, in fact I'm insisting" he said with a cheeky grin "I'll worry about you otherwise" he lowered his head almost as if he was embarrassed with himself for admitting it. She gently stroked his cheek lifting his head so he was looking at her again, "thank you" she said simply. They shared a moment. Cesca's hand hesitated on his cheek while they both gazed into each other's eyes. In this instance, the eyes truly were a portal to the soul. It was almost as though they could see how the other was feeling, and what they could see astonished them. This only lasted a few seconds but seemed like an eternity, those few seconds were enough to speed up her breathing and make her heart race. She took her hand away and they both awkwardly looked away, still somewhat amazed yet confused about what just happened. At the same time they made their excuses to leave the room "So I guess I should sort you out a pillow and blanket" she said rising from the sofa, "and I'll go and make us a cup of tea" he said, mirroring her actions.

Once she got to her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and rested against it, evaluating what just happened. She had never felt that way before, especially from just looking into someone's eyes. Surely she can't have feelings for him? Can she? She shook her head, shaking those thoughts from it, but she couldn't help remembering how right it felt in his arms, how natural it felt to be sitting having dinner with him… she shook her head once more, she shouldn't be thinking like this. She distracted herself by looking for the pillow and blanket she original came up for.

She returned downstairs to a freshly made cup of tea and a confused looking Jonah, although once she entered the room, his confusion turned to a smile. They finished their drinks, making awkward conversation with one another, gave each other a friendly hug and said good night. With that she headed for the stairs. As she reached half way, she looked back into the living room to see Jonah removing his top, revealing a rather perfect torso. She quietly gasped to herself and tried to take her gaze away. Eventually she shook herself out of it and carried on upstairs to her bedroom, shaking her head as she did so – she seemed to be making a habit of shaking impure thoughts out of her head tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Cesca**

She was growing increasingly restless. Her dreams were screaming louder and louder until finally they woke her from her slumber. A cold sweat had engulfed her body and tears streamed down her face. She was overwhelmed by the feeling of loneliness and needed to be back in his arms, a place where she felt safe and to a small degree, loved.

She got out of bed and draped her silk dressing gown around her petite body, the cold air hitting her almost instantly. With her nightmare repeating over and over in her mind she walked into her bathroom and splashed water over her face and stared at the frail reflection in the mirror. Slowly, she walked down the stairs and into the living room. He was lying on his back, his body completely relaxed and his face peaceful and content. She almost didn't want to wake him, but she _needed_ him, needed him to hold her like he did earlier that night, needed him to tell her everything was going to be okay. She gently shook his shoulder which woke him abruptly, his weary eyes filled with confusion and questions she was too tired to answer. "Ces?" he whispered to her, but instead of formulating a response to the question in his voice, she gently took his hand into her own and led him to her bedroom.

As they walked up the stairs, unanswered questions lingered in the air. Although he had no idea what was going on, he put up no resistance. Her hand was gripping his tightly; he gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb which eased her grip somewhat.

She opened her bedroom door and led him inside. She gently pushed him down onto the bed so he was lying on his back, "Ces? What are you…" his question was cut short when Cesca curled up into a ball beside him with her head on his chest. "Please just hold me… I need you to hold me" she whispered as she drew comfort from his presence, while silent tears and hushed sobs escaped her lips. Right then he understood and did as he was told, holding her shaking body close to him, soothing her, stroking her hair, gently kissing the top of her head until she fell into a deep sleep.

She awoke several hours later, no longer feeling the strong, warm presence that she had fell asleep next to. Her eyes still closed, she grasped at the empty space around her as she slowly regained full consciousness. She felt the warm pressure of someone's hand within her own; she followed it to her cold, hard bedroom floor where she saw him sleeping. She smiled to herself, _'He looks rather cute when he sleeps'_ she thought. She gently stroked her thumb against the top of his soft hand and called his name in an attempt to wake him. His eyes gently fluttered and a smile instantly as his eyes caught sight of his beautiful Spanish teacher gazing down at him from over the side of her bed, her hand still firmly within his.

"Good morning" she said with a gentle smile, "morning" he said returning it. "So, how'd you end up down there then? Last thing I remember you were next to me" "I didn't want you to be startled or regret anything when you woke up, how're you feeling?" he asked. "I'm alright I guess, a little embarrassed though" she laughed nervously "Although, I wouldn't have regretted it you know, nor would I have been startled" she said with a smile "You were great last night Jonah, thank you" she gently squeezed his hand.

She let her mind wander slightly, she thought about how right it felt having him there last night, lying in his muscular arms, holding his hand now, waking up and seeing him there although admittedly it wasn't in the most orthodox ways but he clearly respected her, that's what makes him different.


	7. Chapter 7

**Cesca**

As it was Saturday, Jonah was able to spend the whole day with her. Considering the monstrosity yesterday turned out to be, it was a welcome change. They sat on her sofa talking about their siblings, he learned that she had an older sister and a twin brother called Gabriela and José, and she learned that Ruth wasn't as hard faced as she seemed, it was just difficult sometimes for them with their father breathing down their necks.

His arm was delicately placed around her shoulders, her head buried deeply into his chest. It felt like the most natural thing in the world and so very right. A pulse of electricity travelling through each of them from the contact of their skin making the hairs on their arms stand on end. She had never felt anything even close to this with any guy she had dated, it was a feeling that she couldn't quite name.

"You know what? I really fancy some pancakes" she said with a smile on her face. "That's a pretty strange craving", they both giggled a little "I know yeah… fancy helping me make some?" she said mustering up the cheesiest grin she could. "Course" he replied simply, with his signature smile.

They spent the next half an hour laughing, joking and generally making a mess of her kitchen. Jonah placed some chocolate into the microwave so it would melt. "Jonah you've got flour on your face" she giggled, "Have I?" he said rubbing his face "Where?" she discretely grabbed a handful of flour "Just…Here!" she giggled flicking it into his face. He tried his best to keep his 'angry face' on but failed miserably as he began to giggle. "Right that's it" he said grabbing a handful himself and began to chase her around the kitchen table; she was much quicker than he expected but he caught her eventually, gently pinning her against the wall, sprinkling flour onto her head.

They both began to giggle slightly, but the giggles subsided, leaving her looking into his eyes and him into hers. She saw a kind of emotion there that she had never seen before, along with an intense, burning desire. She realised her eyes must mirror his as she found him leaning in slightly for a kiss. She had a split second decision to make; kiss him? Pretend she didn't realise his intentions? Or slap him away? Her body seemed to make the decision for her mind as she too leaned in. Their lips were mere millimetres apart; his warm breath dancing on her cheeks and his hands on her waist… then the microwave pinged, and interrupted what could have been a wonderful moment. He pulled away and saw to the microwave, while she stood momentarily frozen in place.

The microwave had brought her back to reality. What on earth was she thinking? He is still her student, however handsome, kind, funny… '_Stop it Cesca!' _she scolded herself. Sure in an ideal world where he wasn't her student she could easily see herself falling in love with him, marrying him, even having children with him… _'Snap out of it!'_ She shouldn't be thinking this way, shouldn't be feeling this way… but the omnipresent question appeared in the forefront of her mind. _Why? _

Why was she feeling this way about him? Why was she thinking this way? Why had she called him last night when she could have easily called Adana? Why did her heart feel like it was effervescing every time she spoke to him, saw him? Why did she give him her number? Why? Why? Why?

Each lingering question, lead to more unknown answers, answers she wasn't sure whether she wanted to find.

"Ces?" he asked for the third time, getting increasingly worried every time she didn't respond. Third time lucky as she appeared to snap herself out of her reverie. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened, well, what nearly happened. I don't know what came over me. It will never happen again" he said, she could see the regret in his eyes. "You're right, it won't happen again" it came out slightly more acidic than what she planned and instantly apologized.

"I think you should probably go, Jonah" "Okay" he replied simply and walked into the living room to retrieve his coat. She sighed heavily, questions still spinning in her mind. Did she really want him to leave? What would've happened if the microwave hadn't of interrupted? Again, questions she will probably never find the answer to. He pulled back the latch of her front door but hesitated for a moment, "I really am sorry Ces" he said, with genuine sadness in his eyes, and with that he left. She closed the door behind him. She leaned her back against the door and slowly but surely slid down it to the floor.

She felt hollow, empty. A shell of her former self. How is it possible that the absence of this _boy_ made her feel this way? Of course, she in fact knew the answer. She's probably known all along, but simply refused to believe it, in denial. But being in denial means that it's true, that she does… _'NO!'_ She scolded once more.

In denial about being in denial, now there's a perfectly rational state of mind…


	8. Chapter 8

**Jonah**

What was he thinking? He came on too fast, too strong and scared her away. It was difficult for her, he understood that, of course he understood that, but when she was around, he lost his self-control, stripped right back to his primitive, Homo neanderthal roots. He spent the whole of Sunday thinking over his actions, and generally moping around his family home, wishing he could see her, talk to her, but he knew that it wasn't possible. She was going through something that no one would envy, a conflict of the heart. She clearly liked him; the same way he liked her, that much was obvious by the way she accepted his advance. They had a connection, and he couldn't ignore the electricity that pulsed through him every time they touched. But then there was the barrier, the thing holding them back from what could be the greatest love of all, Waterloo Road. It's not like he could be angry at the school, after all without it, their paths probably never would have crossed. It was more the narrow minded school rules that forbid student-teacher relationships, which in most cases he understood, but not in this one, this was already so much more than a fling.

He slumped on his bed and attempted to sleep, tomorrow was Monday, and he had double Spanish first thing in the morning. It would be the first time either of them had contact with the other since she asked him to leave her house. He was dreading it. Although he looked forward to seeing her again, instead of just living off of a memory. How does he act around her now though? Continue just as before? Or keep his distance and avoid letting himself fall into the inevitable trap once more? He decided her would wait until her saw her to make his final decision.

That moment came a lot quicker than he anticipated, he was so nervous that his hand shook slightly as he reached for the door handle to his annoyance. Of course he was early to the lesson, he always was, but this time he knew they needed to talk, so arrived there 10 minutes early. She looked up at him as he entered, a small smile appearing on her face, but disappearing just as quickly. '_Who am I kidding?'_ he thought to himself '_How could I ever keep my distance from her, she's well, perfect.'_ "Hey" he said, almost inaudibly. He was completely unable to read her facial expressions, what he saw there ranged from happiness, to sadness, to confusion and a slight glimmer of lust, or at least what he thought to be lust.

"Hello, Jonah. You're 10 minutes early. Take your seat" she said in the most formal tone she could muster up, a tone that he had become somewhat unfamiliar with over recent weeks. "Look Cesca…" "It's Miss Montoya to you." She said with a stern face, but in her eyes he could see sadness. It must be awful for her. He never dreamed of hurting her, or even being in this position in the first place, but in all honesty, he didn't regret one second of it. He loved the time they had spent together, treasured it even, loved their long and often pointless conversation that were the reason for him to wake up each day. Why couldn't it all be simpler? "Sorry… Miss Montoya, I know this must be really hard for you, but I can't just forget what's happened between us, in fact I don't want to" he began, she looked down at her desk refusing to make eye contact with him, knowing that she would lose herself in his eyes, lose the modicum of control it was taking her not to cross the room and embrace him.

"I know Cesca, that whether you'll admit to it or not, you have feelings for me, not matter how big or how small, they are definite feelings" "We can't do this Jonah, none of this should have ever happened, I shouldn't have let it happen, shouldn't have let myself…" she said wiping a tear from her cheek, she still refused to look at him. "Let yourself what Ces?" "Stop Jonah, Just please stop. I can't do this, _We_ can't do this." He was overcome with a deep feeling of remorse. He had made her feel like this, put her whole career in jeopardy, put her in the situation anyone could really be in, him, he did it. He had to get out of there, the feeling was becoming to crush him, crush is heart, his existence, and it only intensified when he looked at the sadness in her eyes and the conflict beyond them. He power walked down the corridor instead of running, so that he would remain inconspicuous with the crowd of students. The same question spinning around in his mind.

What has he done?


	9. Chapter 9

**Cesca**

She called after him but her efforts were in vain. Her eyes filled with tears that she refused to shed; she couldn't cry over this _boy_ any more, she shouldn't. He was right of course, every single word. She did have feelings for him, feelings she didn't yet understand fully herself, but feelings all the same. When she woke up this morning, she honestly thought she could handle it, be able to see him and treat him as though he were any other student. Well they'd done it once before so why should this time be any different? How wrong she was. It was impossible, she had only seen him, been with him for 10 minutes; yet for that 10 minutes, her heart beat increased, her breathing was fast and shallow, she had an overwhelming feeling to cross the room and embrace him once more. How did he have this hold over her?

The first two lessons were a blur, she had completely zoned out of reality, residing inside herself. It was almost as if her body turned on to autopilot, it continued doing her _Miss Montoya_ duties, but her mind was completely focused on her current dilemma… Jonah. Was he worth the risk? Was he ready for this? These thoughts completely consumed her, so much so that she didn't realise Karen Fisher staring at her from the doorway of her Spanish classroom. "Cesca?... Cesca!" she called "Huh What?" she replied crashing back to reality with a bump. "Are you alright Cesca? You've seemed a bit distracted, is everything okay?" she seemed genuinely concerned, it was nice, if not a little patronising. "Erm yeah… Yeah I'm fine, I guess I just have a lot on my mind" she replied with a fake smile. "Okay good, I actually came here to ask you something" "Go on…" "Well it's more of a favour really… As you know, the sixth form biology trip to wales is next week and well… I was wondering if maybe you would consider supervising?" she said with a smile that was supposed to entice her into agreeing. Admittedly, it kind of worked. A week away would do her good, give her chance to align her thoughts, get things clear in her head, and make a decision. "Sure, I'll go, just email me the details of everything I'll need" she said with a genuine smile this time. "Who else is supervising?" "Chris Mead" Karen turned to leave the room, "Thanks Ces!"

The end of the day couldn't come quick enough; her thoughts had been drowning her all day. She tried to find Jonah, to talk to him, but something told her that he didn't really want to be found, and besides, she had no idea what she would say. He was hurt and confused and it was her fault. She lead him on, at least she thought she did.

Before she knew it, she was packing. They were to travel to an adventure centre in north wales called Ty Carreg, she had no idea what the class had to do there, but apparently it involved streams and wellies, not her idea of a holiday but it would suffice. She walked over to the coach that would be taking them to Wales, with her oversized suitcase – after all she was Cesca, packing lightly was a completely foreign concept to her. There were only a few students waiting outside the coach, the usual suspects; Jess Fisher, Bex Fisher, Finn Sharkey, Lauren Andrews, Sam Kelly, Ronan Burley and attached to his face Vicki McDonald. Along with them was an over-enthusiastic Chris Mead, clearly loving the fact that there was a whole week dedicated to science. She half-heartedly hoped to see _him_ in the line, but she knew she wouldn't… she hadn't seen him since their conversation, over a week ago.

Everything was loaded onto the coach, so they prepared to set off. As the driver released the hand break, there was a thudding sound on the coach door. Chris went to deal with the situation, then entered an out of breath, apologetic, Jonah Kirby. She felt the corners of her mouth curve to form a smile, much to her annoyance. This was supposed to be her time to think over everything, think about _them_. How was she supposed to do that with him there for the whole week? She sighed quietly as their eyes met, her heart beat reached new heights, and her stomach filled with butterflies.

This was going to be a long week.


	10. Chapter 10

**Cesca**

The fates truly had dealt her a shoddy hand. She was sat at the very back of the coach to 'keep that half under control'. He walked to the back of the bus looking for an available seat, and of course, the only one free was the seat next to her. She wasn't sure whether she liked that or not, all she knew was that having time alone with her own thoughts was certainly out the window. Although maybe it would be a good thing, having him here, she could see how he acted around her now, see if he would take the mature approach, or finally live up to his age range.

He shot her an apologetic smile as he took his seat. So far so good. They were going to be stuck next to each other for the next 3 hours, so she tried to make conversation. Of course it wasn't on the topic they should be talking about, but more a 'coach friendly' conversation. "So are you looking forward to the week?" she asked in Miss Montoya's voice. He looked up at her, looked straight in to her eyes, in fact beyond her eyes and into her mind, her soul. She gasped at what she saw in his, but then unintentionally smiled at him, no ordinary smile, a smile filled with something akin to love, lust maybe? She mused. His whole face lit up, his smile matched hers, and this unfathomable feeling she often experienced when around Jonah, once more engulfed her body. She both loved and hated this feeling. She loved the safety, and care that she felt from his presence, but hated the position it put her in, the dilemma.

They arrived at Ty Carreg a few hours later, they had both managed to draw their gazes away to have a friendly conversation, then they resumed to reside in their own worlds, she read her book and he listened to music. Neither knew how to act around the other, of course due to the 15 other students and deputy head they would be spending the week with, they couldn't do a lot regardless of whether that was what they wanted, but Jonah felt like sometimes he was treading on egg shells with her, she gave him signals like the smile on her face earlier, that made him think she wanted the same thing, then other times she was cold and very much Miss Montoya.

The place itself was lovely, it was up a large mountain, and by the looks of it the only place around for a few miles. In the horizon you could see a busy seaside town within a mountainous valley, and beyond that the vast ocean. It really was idyllic, and the students seemed to like it too. The house they were to live in for the week, consisted of 17 single bedrooms dotted around the house, a shower block, bathrooms, kitchen, dining area, living room and a sports/games centre. If she was taken somewhere like this she might have been a bit more interested in science. They were going to be completely self-sufficient, cooking and cleaning for themselves but having large group dinners of an evening. Everyone was able to pick their own rooms; she had tried to pick the most isolated room which only had one neighbour, just in case there were any snorers in the group. She unpacked her suitcase and got ready for their first outing (Chris was so eager to begin that he had only given them half an hour to look around and unpack before they got down to the education) Considering she was going to be standing in a stream, she looked glamorous as always. She left her room and being in her own little world as usual, wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She bumped into the person leaving the room next to her, a solid figure she was all too familiar with. "Jonah… I don't think that's such a good idea" "I know I'm sorry, it was the only one left" he said with genuine sincerity in his voice "I've tried swapping with people, but no offence miss, nobody wants the room next to a teacher" he said with his cheeky grin. A long week indeed.

The long awaited evening came, which meant they all had free time. Chris really had packed a lot into one day, lots of wilderness hikes, stream walking and bog exploring. The only thing that kept her going through the day was the banter from the students and getting to know them all a bit better. As well as that there were the smiles from Jonah, she knew it was soppy and a bit daft, but it made her heart jump all over the place and brighten up her day, of course she would never tell him that, otherwise he would smile at her constantly, and she was sure she would go into cardiac arrest.

She was lying on her bed, which was surprisingly comfy. Her feet ached; she hadn't walked that much in her whole life, at least she hadn't worn heels. The students were probably all either in town or in the games room and Chris was geeking out on the specimens they had collected throughout the day, a variety of disgusting insects and crustaceans. Ew. There was a gentle knock on her door, she had a feeling who it would be, but answered it anyway, of course it was him, it always was. He smiled when he saw her, a smile that was always reserved for her. In her mind she imagined what she really want to do, it played in her head so vividly that she almost believed it was real, until she snapped back to reality that is, and they were still in the same place. Her imagination saw her pulling him into her room by the front of his top and catching his lips in a searing kiss that left them both breathless, she then took him to the bed, and that's where it ended. Even though it was a daydream it still sent shivers down her spine, but alas it was just a figment of her imagination. "Ces, I think we need to talk." "I don't think this is the right time really Jonah" "There will never be a 'right time' Ces, but we need to sort out what is going on between us. No one else is in, I've already checked" "I suppose you better come in then." She shifted position and allowed him to pass; she sighed and closed her eyes as she prepared herself for the inevitable conversation that she wasn't really prepared for at all. She still had no idea what she wanted, or how it could work if she did go ahead with it. Was she even willing to admit her feelings for him yet? She had no idea.

Her eyes reopened and she closed the door.


	11. Chapter 11

**Cesca**

He sat down on her bed, looking just as apprehensive as she was. There was an awkward silence filling the room, both unsure whether or not they were ready to break it. She was the first one to speak, "We can't do this Jonah, it would never work… _WE_ would never work" "But surely if you want something enough, we could make it work. I can't stop thinking about you Cesca; I don't want to stop thinking about you…" She sat down next to him and placed her head in her hands. He was unsure what to do, he wanted with all his heart to hold her in his arms and tell her everything will be okay, but he could tell that she wasn't ready for that. "I'm sorry Ces, sorry for putting you in this position. I honestly never thought anything like this would happen, I didn't intend for it to happen, didn't intend to develop feelings for you, but I did, and I can't deny them" she looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes, ready to fall like perfect little diamonds onto her face. "Jonah…" she chocked, "this is probably some teenage crush that you'll get over, you should just focus your attention on someone more suitable like…" her heart smashed into a million pieces and a stab of something she presumed to be jealously tore into her stomach as she uttered the name "Jess Fisher" "No… No! I don't want anyone else Cesca, I want you! This isn't just some teenage crush, some fling, if it was don't you think I would have tried something on when we shared a bed? But i didn't because I respect you, I really do like you Cesca, and that's not coming from some naïve school boy who wants to sleep with his Spanish teacher… It's coming from my heart" His eyes too were beginning to form tears, she knew that every word he had said was honest and true, she also knew that he wasn't naïve at all.

He looked down towards her, gently resting his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes, as did he. They were both overcome with the feeling of how right it felt to be with each other, touching each other, the electricity pulsing through them hitting new frequencies. She gently placed her hand on his soft, slightly bristly cheek, wiping away his newly shed tear. They looked deeply into one an others eyes. It was right then that she had a single moment of clarity, her feelings did in fact mirror his, and that she would not only be hurting herself if she denied them any longer, but she would also be hurting him, something which she couldn't bear the thought of. They stayed like this for a few minutes, neither wanting any more or any less, when there was a knock on the door, her eyes shot open and she instantly jumped away from his touch, it was Chris "Ces it's time for dinner, can you let any of the kids know if you see them on your way down" "Okay thanks Chris!" She called back looking at Jonah, her eyes filled with panic, he held her hand reassuringly which seemed to soothe her slightly. They then both left to go down for dinner, not before making sure the coast was clear.

On an unspoken agreement, they didn't see each other privately for the rest of the week; it was far too close the other night. That didn't mean that they ignored each other though, they shared furtive smiles and longing gazes. She didn't really know what they were, they weren't quite in a relationship, but they definitely were no longer teacher/student. One thing she was sure of was how they felt about each other, it didn't quite have a definition but it was real, pure and mutual. They had decided to talk more once they returned to England, discuss how exactly it would work.

Before she knew it, they were all back on the coach preparing to go home. She was careful to sit at the front of the coach away from a certain 6th former, this time she really did need to collect her thoughts, be logical about the whole situation. "Cesca, where do you want to be dropped off?" Chris asked, everyone was going to be dropped off at their desired locations, "School please, left my car there" she said with a smile. He went through the whole coach, each of them saying home. "And Jonah?" he paused "Jonah?" "He's listening to music sir" said Ronan, "Well could you give him a nudge please" he did as he was told and startled Jonah out of his daydream, "Yes sir?" "Where do you want to be dropped off when we get back?" "Oh erm, school please sir, left my car there" he was a proud newly qualified driver, the only one in his class so far.

After another 2 hours of motorway driving they finally reached the familiar sight of Waterloo road. They both got off the coach and waved to the rest of the group as the coach pulled off, the cool night air wrapping itself around their bodies. She began to shiver which didn't go unnoticed by Jonah, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, they both smiled at each other. "I just need a bit more time Jonah" "it's okay, I understand… It's difficult for you, I get it, take as much time as you need, just let me know when you're ready yeah?" he winked, she smiled back at him "Well I guess I'll see you Monday?" "See you Monday" with that they both walked to their cars and got in, not before gazing at each other, taking in the image of one another to last them until Monday.


	12. Chapter 12

I have no idea of the layout for the school, but in this fic the science room is next to the Spanish room :)

**Jonah**

He hadn't seen her since the car park, over a week ago. He'd seen Miss Montoya, but not _her_. He missed everything about her, her laugh, her smile… everything. He wished with all of his heart that her decision would be quick, so that he could either be with her, or begin picking up the pieces of his shattered heart. The waiting was the hardest part, not knowing where he stood, whether he was coming or going, of course he understood why it was taking so long. She was battling her heart and her head, a fight in which either way she would lose, it just depended what she was willing to lose more; Jonah, or her career, possibly even her freedom.

Lesson 3 on a Thursday was P.E with Mr Clarkson, or specifically football, it was always football. "Jonah!" Mr Clarkson called to him, holding a piece of paper in his hand. He jogged over to him promptly, "What's up sir?" "I need you to take this memo to Miss Montoya" Fate, his old friend had returned yet again, it was almost as though they were two opposing magnets, drawn together by some force he didn't quite understand. "But sir can't someone else do it?" "No Jonah, I asked you." He replied in a stern voice.

He wasn't sure what to expect as he reached her classroom, he gently knocked on her door and waited for a response. From what he could see, it was the year 12 girls she was currently teaching. "Come in, oh hello Jonah what can I do for you?" she said in her Miss Montoya voice. He walked through the centre of the desks, receiving several wolf whistles and comments regarding his football kit, "Looking good Jonah" this came from Jess Fisher with a cheeky wink, he just smirked but otherwise ignored them, his attention was completely focused on Cesca. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. "Oh erm, Mr Clarkson told me to give you this" he handed her the piece of paper, which within it contained a message of his own. His hand gently brushed hers and the electricity that passed through them was phenomenal. She gasped slightly at the contact of his soft skin.

She opened the paper, one was formal and no doubt about some pointless meeting Karen Fisher has set up, the other was written in a familiar handwriting, it simply said 'I've missed you'. She smiled warmly at him, the smile that was only ever reserved for him. She quickly scribbled her response 'I've missed you too' her gaze remaining firmly with his. That's when it happened.

A blast, a force of which she had never experienced before, threw her to the floor. She heard muffled screams, but a very distinct ringing dominated her hearing as she slipped out of consciousness. He too was thrown to the floor, hitting his head off of a nearby desk. The rest of the class managed to escape mostly unscathed, leaving an unconscious Miss Montoya and Jonah Kirby in the raging inferno.

Smoke engulfed the classroom, his eyes flickered open, but closed just as quickly. A searing pain on his head brought him back to reality, back to consciousness. He was confused and dazed, understandably. '_What the hell happened?'_ he thought to himself. He looked around the burning room, rubble, dust and smoke hazing his vision. That's when he saw her, laying limp and lifeless on the floor. He ran to her, diving on the floor, raising her head onto his lap. He checked her vital signs, her breathing was laboured, but at least she was breathing, and her heart rate was fast. He gently shook her trying to bring her around, constantly saying her name as though it were a chant. Her eyes slowly fluttered open; he honestly thought it was the most beautiful sight he had seen. "Ces! Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?" "I'm fine I think, just my head" "Try and stand" He helped her to her feet, she doubled over in agony as she put weight onto her ankle "I can't walk Jonah" tears of pain and fear streamed down her face "It's alright shh don't worry" he soothed as her took her into his arms. She grasped onto him as though she had never felt the touch of another person before. "It's okay, we're going to be fine" he repeated. He carried her out into the corridor; it too was engulfed with flames in both directions. He had no choice but to go straight ahead into the opposite classroom, there was no escape.

He placed her on a nearby chair out of harm's way. "Jonah I have something to tell you" "Now isn't such a great time Ces" he joked, trying to make light of the disastrous situation, frantically searching the room for an exit, "There might not be another time Jonah" He stopped his search, crouching down in front of her and cupping his hands around her delicate face, so she was looking straight into his eyes "I promise you Ces, I'm going to get us out of here, and when I do, you can tell me whatever you like" he winked. "How can you be so sure Jonah?" He shrugged "I'm an optimist. I also know we are both meant for more than this Cesca." He knew that he was possibly filling her with false hope, but he didn't want her to say her last goodbyes. They needed to survive.

The only option he had was the window, but when you go to a school like waterloo road, the windows are reinforced with a metal grid. That would be a little bit more difficult. He picked up a chair, and with all the strength he had in him, threw it at the window. The glass shattered but the grid remained, the only thing separating them from certain survival. He kicked at it furiously and eventually it began to give way. He called over to the group of evacuated members of the school, searching for a male teacher, Mr Mead responded. The fire was spreading to the room they were in, making breathing almost impossible; it was spreading up the walls and onto the fragile ceiling. Chris sprinted towards them; he placed Cesca into the reliable arms of his science teacher, who stepped away slightly so Jonah could jump down from the window.

The integrity of the ceiling perished with the full force landing on his unfortunate body. The window was no longer an option; it was now completely barricaded with rubble. For the second time Jonah lay unconscious, his limp and lifeless body left to perish. Chris could smell gas, so moved a distraught Cesca and the rest of the school a safe distance away from the imminent explosion.

It was just a matter of time.


	13. Chapter 13

**Cesca**

She was distraught, emotionally, physically. She felt empty, she didn't even feel her best friend's arm around her as they sat on the car park, she was numb. It had been 5 minutes since Jonah had got her out, she sobbed at the memory that _her_ Jonah was still trapped inside. She blamed herself, if he hadn't of helped her, then he would be safe, alive, she winced at the thought. She didn't have chance to tell him how she really felt, how much she cared for him, longed to be with him, how she thought she was falling for him, she didn't have the chance, might not ever get the chance.

She hadn't spoken at all, it was beginning to worry Adanna, she was an empty vessel of her usually vibrant self. The first of the emergency services arrived, it was the fire brigade, they couldn't do anything, it was 'too risky' they said. She felt a rage building up inside of her, she wanted to explode but she didn't have the energy, didn't have the will, but worst of all, she didn't have Jonah. Tears began to stream down her face, they symbolised her broken heart.

**Jonah**

His entire body ached; it was an indescribable pain of a magnitude he had never felt before. But regardless of this, in a small corner of his mind, he was happy, happy that he had managed to get her out safe and well. It was this that gave him the will to continue, the image of Cesca. At first, he tried to wiggle his feet; paralysis would really put a dampener on his escape plans. He then moved his arms, everything seemed okay. He slowly stood up, putting his entire weight on a nearby desk. He dusted himself down and tried to formulate a plan. There was a distinct smell of gas in the air so he knew he had to act quickly. He knew he didn't have the strength in him to break through another metal grid, so he tried to remember a room without it. He searched his memory for that small glimmer of hope, and then it clicked – Miss Lawal's office down the corridor.

Now all he had to do was get there. With his last amount of energy he sprinted down the corridor and leapt over the flames. He was complete enervated, but needed to continue, needed to see her again with every fibre of his being. Luckily the flames were relatively contained; it was only the smoke that was inhibiting his progress. He fumbled with the door handle, hoping against hope that it wasn't locked; he didn't have it within him to force the door down. Luck really was on his side today, well sort of, it was open, and his memory had served him well, no metal grid.

The methane ignited causing an unstoppable chemical reaction; the fire erupted, spreading its way through any open door. He had no other option but to dive through the closed window, the glass shattered around him, penetrating his skin. His exit was followed by flames; he was seconds from death, seconds. This was all meant to be, he was supposed to survive, it was fate. He lay face down on the floor, unable to comprehend the entire day. His ears were ringing from the explosion, but in the distance he could vaguely hear the sound of panicked, muffled voices. He stood up; there was a searing pain in his side that outweighed the rest of his aches. He gently touched the source of the pain; there was a shard of glass embedded in between his ribs. He walked toward the crowd of people and the flashing lights, past the fire fighters attempting to tame the blazing inferno and past the debris from the blast.

He was instantly embraced by anyone and everyone. That's the only good thing about disasters, it unites communities, even a school like waterloo road, it gives everyone something in common. There was only one person he wanted to see though, his beacon of light in the darkness. He was escorted by Mr Mead to a nearby ambulance, that's when he saw her; she was sat in the back being treated for a gash on her head. She truly was beautiful. News hadn't got to her yet that he had made it out okay, so when she saw him, her whole being lit up. It took all of their strength not cross the space between them and passionately embrace each other, instead they just smiled, their special smiles only meant for one another, that was enough.

Miss Lawal and Ronan were stood by the doors of the ambulance, Jonah was on one bed and Cesca was on the other on the opposite side of the ambulance, "Ronan mate, I don't suppose you could bring my car to the hospital?" "Course mate, no problem, good luck!" and with that the ambulance doors were closed. He looked over to Cesca; she was looking back in wonder. "How?" was all she managed to say. "I don't break my promises" he replied simply with a wink, she just giggled and reached out to take his hand within her own, stroking it gently with her thumb. It was meant to be.


	14. Chapter 14

**Cesca**

They had arrived at the hospital, and were placed in separate bays in A&E. Although they were only a few metres apart the distance between them was unbearable. She was waiting to be sent down to X-ray for her ankle, and was chatting to a friendly intern; he on the other hand was receiving stitches. Neither broke their gaze from one another, like they were enchanted by the sight. This didn't go unnoticed by Lucy the intern she was talking to, "So how long have you two been together?" clearly unaware of their professional relationship. "Erm were not… why'd you ask" "Well someone's being coy" Lucy laughed, was it really that obvious?

She overheard the doctor speaking to him, "We had to give you 8 stitches which will need to be taken out in a week, and you also have a mild concussion, other than that just cuts and bruises. Take it easy for the next few days, but other than that you are free to go" He put his top back on and came over to her bed, "I can wait if you want" "It's alright, get yourself home, your dad will be worried" "He'd have to be in the country to be worried… he's taken Ruth on holiday" "Well all the same…" "Alright, Alright I'll take the hint" he said with a grin "Hope everything goes okay" and with that he left.

Why did she ask him to leave? She wanted him there more than anything; her body must have gone into auto-pilot, automatically rejecting him. She had to wait a long 2 hours until she was finally able to leave; a sprained ankle, a concussion, and cuts and bruises was all that there was to show from her complete horror of the day. She left A&E and realised she had no means of getting home; she would have to pay a small fortune for a taxi. "Ces!" she heard a familiar voice call from behind her, he walked over to her with a smile on his face, she just simply giggled. "I thought you left hours ago?" "I had to make sure you were okay" he truly did care about her. "That's really sweet" she smiled, "Annnnd to offer you a lift home" he said with a cheeky grin, she accepted of course.

He helped her to the car, gently placing an arm around her waist, her arm around his neck. The whole journey consisted of their conspiracy theories of what they think happened that day. They arrived outside her house 10 laughter filled minutes later, he walked around the car and opened the door for her, helping her out once more and walking her to her door. "Well I guess I'll see you soon" he turned to walk away, she gently took hold of his arm, "Or you could come in for a coffee" she said with a cheeky grin.

They chatted for a while, about anything and everything. They were sat side by side on her sofa. "So what did you want to say to me" he asked raising his eyebrow, her cheeks automatically turned a familiar shade of red. At the time, it seemed appropriate, now it was just embarrassing, but she knew he was going to persist. "Well… I… Erm…" she stuttered "I was going to say that, well, that if" she looked to the floor "If today was my last day, then I'm glad I was with you, glad that you were my last memory" He beamed, he gently placed his forefinger under her chin, raising it so she was looking into his eyes, inching closer and closer; she didn't reject his advances this time, instead she returned them, catching his soft lips in a searing kiss that left them breathless, wanting more.

Her hands were on his face, his chest, his neck. His were exploring her body. All those weeks of furtive smiles and glances, suppressed feelings and longing, had built up a passion inside each of them that mirrored the raging inferno early that day. Her body rose slightly falling gracefully on top of his, thriving from the contact of his skin, he winced slightly from pain in his ribs, but he didn't care. His hands caressed her hair and back, holding her close. She retracted herself from him, standing up, taking his hand. He looked at her in awe, how could a day begin so awfully but end so wonderfully. Not for the first time she led him upstairs by the hand, into her bedroom, pushing him onto her bed, all she could do was giggle.

She tried to lift his top over his head, but he stopped her. "You are sure about this, aren't you Ces?" "I've never been surer about anything in my life." She replied simply, and that was enough for him. She removed his top, her hands caressing his solid torso, while he fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. Soon their clothes were nothing but piles on the floor, he carefully rested his body on top of hers, kissing her passionately, delicately. She knew that this was it, this was the moment that the ideology of the student-teacher barrier would be completely shattered, but she honestly couldn't care less. She had _him_, the person that sets her whole world alight by the simplest of smiles or touches, they had something spectacular that could no longer be denied, nor did she want to deny it. Instead she embraced it, embraced him, for a night of passion that she was sure to remember even when she was old and grey.

Nobody had ever made her feel this way, she wasn't going to deny, she has had a few lovers, she was 26 after all, but none of them, not one compared to Jonah. Even the sexy glint in his eye when he looked at her, was enough to make her melt. She threw her head back into the bed, as they began to ride the wave together, neither of them had ever felt this much intense pleasure before, it was completely enthralling, he trailed soft butterfly kisses up to her lips, where he hesitated, looking deeply into her eyes. She sighed a little at the loss of his touch, before kissing him passionately. Their bodies relaxed and she cuddled up to him, feeling more content than she ever had before.

So that was what it felt like to be well and truly happy.


	15. Chapter 15

**Cesca**

She woke slowly from possibly the best sleep of her life. With her eyes still closed, she adjusted to the new presence that was gracing her senses. She could feel his arms wrapped around her, and his breath tickling the nape of her neck. She joined her hands with his that were placed on her toned stomach, interlocking her fingers with his. She sank deeper into his embrace, pushing her back further into his chest, so much so that she could feel his heart beating. She could have stayed like that forever; she was so comfortable, so content in his arms, she was actually surprised how natural it felt, how right it felt.

She knew she would have to move soon though; the time was soon approaching 7:30, and despite her classroom being basically a pile of ash, and her being trapped in a fire yesterday, it wouldn't surprise her if Karen Fisher still expected her to attend school. She was undecided whether to or not though, right now she was caught up in a Jonah bubble she had no intention of popping just yet. She still felt the electricity tingling through her body at the touch of his skin, but it was subdued for now. She felt him stir behind her, half expecting him to pull away, but instead he held her closer, breathing in her scent and gently kissing her neck, of course she did nothing but giggle.

He turned her around in his arms so that she was facing him and kissed her full on the lips, "Morning" he whispered with his forehead against hers, she simply giggled and kissed him once more, before being interrupted by her phone. It was of course the one thing that was keeping them from being a real couple, Waterloo Road. "Great" she said, her sarcastic tone made Jonah laugh which awarded him a sharp elbow in the stomach as she answered the phone.

Due to the nice weather, the school was going to remain open, with all classes that usually take place on the affected being held outside. Well, at least she got chance to top up her tan. She began to get herself ready, she decided against heels today due to the whole sprained ankle situation. He just lay in bed in complete awe of her, how could he of been so lucky to be with a beautiful women like her? She smiled at him through her mirror and turned a familiar shade of red.

He got dressed, kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave. She caught hold of his hand, pulling him back so she could kiss him properly, and then let him leave. He had to go home and get changed before school. School! She hadn't even considered how it was going to be at school, how they should act around one another, would anyone notice? She was running late so couldn't dwell on these thoughts for long.

She locked the door of her car and took another large gulp of her coffee; she didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Adanna ran over to her instantly, clearly she had been worried about her little Spanish friend. "Oh Ces, Are you okay? What did the doctors say? Are you hurt?" "Woah Adanna slow down" she giggled "I'm fine, I promise. I have just got a sprained ankle and had a bit of a concussion, nothing major" she said with a smile. "What about Jonah, is he okay? Did you see him last night?" her heart sank, did she know? How could she? It couldn't end, it had only just begun. She shifted her weight slightly and stuttered out her answer "He… erm… he's okay I think, only saw him briefly at the hospital" "talk of the devil… JONAH!" Adanna called him over from across the car park "Good morning Miss Lawal, Miss Montoya" They discussed his injuries, but much to Cesca's gratitude, he made a quick exit, not before giving her a discrete wink.

Hours turned into days, and day turned into weeks. They saw each other every evening, where they released the built up passion they had gained during the day. She longed for these moments; they truly were the highlight of an otherwise dull day. It was the time that they could truly be themselves around one another, instead of having to keep up the false student/teacher pretence. Cesca's home had become a safe haven, the place where they could be a couple, be equals.

It was much harder to treat him indifferent to everyone else than she thought, she was constantly assaulted with memories from more intimate moments in their relationship, as was he. She knew exactly when he was thinking about it too, he would get this glint in his eye and an all too familiar sexy smile on his face that gave him away.

She was falling deeply into his trap, falling hard and fast with no hope of return. Was it possible for her to fall in love with him?


	16. Chapter 16

**Jonah**

He had been in school to some degree, for the past 12 years of his life, yet the tedium was still something he had not grown used to; each day becoming more impossibly monotonous than the last. It was much like what he imagined purgatory to be, an inert state between active periods. He really didn't see the point in his attendance anymore. It was once the only thing he cared about, not so much educationally, but socially. He had never really felt 'normal' until becoming a part of the student body of Waterloo Road, he once felt like he belonged, and to some extent he still did. He knew that the friends he had made would be friends for a lifetime, and that the skills he had gained there would be with him until his final breath, but now, he drifted down the corridors, ignoring the babble of voices that gushed like a river in is head.

He hated it here now. '_Actually, hate is strong word' _he thought, _'Strongly detest... Much better' _He strongly detested it here now. He attended lessons that he probably knew more about than the subject teacher, and fulfilled what was expected of him, but there was always a constant yearning in his heart. This was the place that was restricting his blossoming relationship, the place that could potentially send her to prison, the place that could cause his hopes and dreams to die.

He saw her every day after school, he saw her inside of school too, but didn't really _see_ her. They would make uncertain plans for the future, and appreciate being with each other without suspicion in the safe confines of her home. They did the same thing each day, yet each day felt different. With each day, a feeling grew inside the both of them, they were both aware of it, yet they had not admitted it to each other. He wanted to with all of his heart, but he wasn't sure of the reaction he would receive, as did she. The burning desire inside of them had not subsided, not one bit, on the contrary, it too grew each day. The want, the need to be with one another, slowly becoming more and more uncontrollable.

"So, I erm… I was wondering, if you wanted to come out with me this weekend? We could watch a film or something…" this came from and unusually shy looking, of course he said no, he had plans of his own this weekend, with the person who always dominated his thoughts, affections, his body. He was going to surprise her tonight with a trip for two to Paris for the weekend, he hoped she would except and also appreciate his spontaneity. He had it all planned out, a lovely romantic weekend, where they do not have to hide their feelings for one another. "Sorry Jess… I've already kinda got plans" he shot her a comforting smile. In a parallel universe, he and Jess could have been perfect for one another, but in this world, she didn't even compare to Cesca.

When he arrived at her house, she immediately caught hold of the front of his top and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. They had hardly seen each other all day, it had been killing her. He brought her into the living room, and told her of his surprise. Her face instantly lit up with excitement and wonder. He was scarce on the details, ensuring that some aspects of the trip were still a surprise.

It truly was going to be a magical weekend.


	17. Chapter 17

**Cesca**

Before she knew it, they were in Paris, strolling down a Parisian street, hand in hand. It was truly idyllic; she was with her perfect man, on a wonderful summer's day, in the city of love. She didn't understand how she could be so lucky; '_sure it's not under the best circumstances' _she thought '_but you can't help who you _fall_ for' _fall for? It was then that she had a single moment of clarity; she had fallen unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

She thought she was in love once before, but now that she thought about it; it pales in comparison to what she has with Jonah. She couldn't believe how blind she had been, this feeling had been evident for so long, yet she couldn't quite define it, and now it was as obvious as a slap in the face.

They walked for what seemed like minutes; enjoying each other's company, and the freedom they felt in the foreign city. He covered her eyes as they turned down a busy street, and stopped her in front of a building. He uncovered her eyes to reveal a very expensive looking hotel, 'Hotel Fouquet's Barriere' her whole face lit up, she couldn't believe the effort he had gone to, the thought he had put into it. She knew he truly did care about her, and that she wasn't just a conquest, a chance to boast to his friends about 'shagging the pretty Spanish teacher'. Of course she had always thought that was true, but it was nice to have it confirmed.

They were escorted to their room by the concierge. It was beautiful in every way, with a perfect view of the Eiffel tower. The room was also filled with lilies and roses, her favourite flowers; they gave the room a magical aroma. She was suddenly riddled with guilt, how could he afford all of this? He had insisted that he pay for everything, but now that she'd seen it, she regretted agreeing.

The sun was slowly setting, turning the sky from a clear blue into a wonderful spectrum of colour and vibrancy. They were stood on the second floor of the Eiffel tower; she was admiring the amazing scenery, whereas he was admiring the beautiful company, which didn't go unnoticed by her. He simply couldn't help himself; it was the perfect moment, as good a moment as any. He just had to pluck up the courage and tell her.

He looked deeply into her eyes and said simply "I love you, Cesca Montoya" with a sweet smile. She knew how she wanted to respond, but it was like every muscle in her body had frozen, she was flabbergasted. He was overcome with regret, it was obviously too soon, he's probably scared her off. His mental torment was interrupted by her timid voice and her hand gently being placed on his cheek "I love you too, Jonah" It was the most beautiful moment in her entire life, she never thought she could love someone as much as she loved him. She pulled him in for a passionate kiss, and swiftly led him to the elevator.

Once they had reached the ground floor, she led him towards their hotel and quickly up to their room. She was overcome with an unfathomable amount of desire, a kind she had never felt before. Then again, she was constantly assaulted by new feelings and emotions when she was with Jonah, it was one of the many qualities she liked. She opened the door, while he kissed her gently on the neck. They stumbled through the doorway, and he kicked the door closed.

They enjoyed a long night of passion and romance. They made love, embraced one another or fell asleep, then made love all over again. It truly had been a magnificent day, one that she will treasure in her heart until the end of time. She had found her soul mate in Jonah, her missing puzzle piece, her one true love and every other soppy metaphor you could think of. The thought of getting caught killed her, but not as much as the thought of being separated from him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Jonah**

He felt like he was walking on air, living an impossible dream. Every moment with her was magical, unforgettable, and special. Even the simplest of things touched his heart, the way that she smiled her special smiled just for him, her adorable giggle, everything. They were truly meant for each other, fitted together like a jigsaw. He hated himself for the torment he had put her through and the danger he still put her in now, but it was like an unknown magnetic force was drawing them together, fate. The thought of losing her killed him, tore at his heart strings, but at the same time he didn't regret a second of it. He loved her, and she loved him.

Two months. Two months and he will be finished with school, two months and they can be together properly, officially. That's all it will take. No more looking over their shoulders, no more secrets, no more lies.

They were lying on her sofa, his back against the cushions with her lying into his embrace. They were watching her favourite film 'La flor de mi secreto' he could only make out the odd word, but if she's happy, he's happy. Their hands were joined and he gently played with her fingers. Attention on the film was soon lost, as their lips began to interact. She clutched onto his muscular arms as her playful side got the better of her. She nibbled on his lower lip and pinched his bum, instantly she was on her feet, coercing him to chase her. Of course, he did. She dashed upstairs and into her room, he followed closely behind her, gently pinning her against the wall, kissing her vigorously. The undying passion they shared resurfaced once more as they collapsed onto the bed, desperately trying to remove one another's clothing. She was giggling uncontrollably with every touch or kiss, a quality Jonah found adorable. He trailed butterfly kisses down her body and was rewarded by the sighs that escaped her lips.

She collapsed into his embrace, instantly interlocking their fingers and cuddling up to his muscular frame, falling into a light, peaceful sleep. He too dozed off. When she awoke, she grasped at the empty space on her mattress. She pottered down stairs knowing her wouldn't have left without saying goodbye, and sure enough she found him. He was stood in front of the cooker in nothing but his boxers, whatever he was cooking smelt delicious, and he looked rather sexy too. Moments like this made her think that age really was just a number, he is so mature, caring and loving for his age. It's easy to forget that he had just turned 18.

They enjoyed a traditional Spanish meal, something that was sure to put a smile on her beautiful face. He loved doing little things like that, even if it was sometimes just to see her face light up, which it often did.

It was soon approaching 9 o'clock which meant it was sadly time for him to leave. They went through their nightly ritual of her trying to persuade him to stay, and him wishing he could but insisting he shouldn't. It tore at his heart to have to leave her, he wanted more than anything to be able to spend the whole night together, live together even, but he knew that wasn't possible, not yet anyway. Two months. Two lousy months.

He walked through her front door and turned back to give her one last passionate kiss goodnight. That's when their whole world came crashing down.

There was crunching on her gravel driveway. "Ces?" the familiar voice of her best friend called out in a mixture of shock and confusion. How could it be over already when it had only just begun?


	19. Chapter 19

**Adanna**

She couldn't understand what she had just seen. She thought she was imagining it; surely Cesca couldn't be so stupid as to sleep with a pupil? But strangely that wasn't what bothered her the most, it was more the fact that she had kept her in the dark. She knew that something had been different with her for the past couple of months, but a good different, so she didn't really pry; her friend was happy so she was happy. In retrospect, she wished she had. She could have put a stop to it before it started. She needed an explanation.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Cesca?" she demanded. Cesca had tears filling her eyes, and a look of horror and shame on her face. Jonah on the other hand, was well… nothing. His expression was completely blank, empty, as though all life had been sucked out of him. "I think you both need to explain yourselves, right now!" "Y-you should c-come inside" she stuttered, clearly overwhelmed by it all. They all walked into the house in silence, she sat on Cesca's arm chair, and they both sat on her sofa, not quite daring to touch, but gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. '_Lovingly?_' she repeated the thought. Could that really be love she could see in their eyes? Surely not. This was obviously just a fling, purely for lust, no emotion, but then again, she didn't think she would risk her career, her freedom for a fling. Would she? She couldn't think straight, nothing made sense.

An awkward silence filled the air. Adanna, of course was the first to break it, Cesca and Jonah were far more reluctant. "How?" was all that she could muster, thousands of questions whizzing around her head, and that was all that came out? Although that simple three letter word seemed to break the barrier that was holding Cesca's tear back, as she attempted to give some form of explanation. Cesca's petite frame shook, with what she presumed to be fear. Jonah instinctively wrapped his arms around her, protectively, comfortingly. Yet another act that confused her theory. He then took over with the explanation, his voice much stronger than Cesca's, but just as uneasy. "It was me. It was all me. I instigated it, everything. I flirted with her when I knew I really shouldn't, but I simply couldn't help myself. At first, admittedly, it was mainly lust, but then we got to know each other" his gazed drifted down to her face that was buried deeply into his chest, by now her tears had subsided slightly. "Developed feeling's for one another" he continued. Cesca finally managed to found her voice; it was weak and timid, filled with sorrow. "I am so so sorry Adanna, I never meant for this to happen, any of it." "Jonah could you give us a moment please?" she asked him. He looked towards Cesca once more for approval and hesitantly left the room. He was so angry at himself for getting caught, so stupidly, so callously.

Once she was sure he was out of hearing range, she began her 'interrogation'. "Why? Cesca, Why him? You could have any bloke you want, why did you choose him?" "I-I-I don't know, it wasn't like I did it deliberately, he's just… he's just very mature for his age, and a good listener. He was there for me." The tears began to flow once more "Ohh Cesca" she placed an arm around her friend's shoulder, her mothering instinct taking over. "What have you gotten yourself into?" "I'm so sorry Adanna, you have to believe me. I would never do this, not in a million years, it's just _him._ He's so different to any other guy I've met, so special… I love him." Her face lit up as she described him but then dimmed just as quickly as she looked towards her friend for her reaction. "Cesca… He is your _pupil_, it's wrong, it shouldn't be happening" "I know, I know all of this, but I can't help the feelings I have for him.. I'm sorry Adanna, really truly sorry. You're not going to tell anyone are you?" panic struck her face. Yet another awkward silence filled the air; on the one hand, she knew that it was wrong, illegal, but on the other, this was her best friend, pleading with her.

What should she do?


	20. Chapter 20

**Cesca**

Her heart was pounding in her chest; she could almost feel the blood rushing through her veins. She looked towards her best friend's conflicted face, she could easily empathise with her, after all it wasn't that long ago that she was in a similar dilemma. She could barely breathe, the thoughts rushing around her head, every possible scenario, suffocating her almost. Adanna finally gave her eye contact. This was it, the beginning of the end.

She held her breath; "I'm not going to say anything…" "Thanks you so much Adanna" her gratitude was cut short. "On one condition… This ends now." She felt her heart split in two. She always knew deep down that it would end like this. She hoped against hope that it wouldn't, but it had. She chocked back the sobs, and hesitantly nodded. Why couldn't it be simple? He was her dream guy, quite possibly the love of her life, her soul mate. Now she had to tell him it was over. "I'm sorry Cesca, but you know it has to be like this. What if it was someone else that had caught you? It would be so much worse." A single tear fell elegantly down her cheek; she nodded once more, still unable to speak.

There was a gentle knock on her living room door; a worried looking Jonah poked his head through. "I-is everything okay?" "I'll give you two a moment alone" Adanna said with a sympathetic smile, she placed a hand on Jonah's shoulder as she left the room. He was sat beside her instantly, taking her shaking hands within his own. This was going to be hard. "Jonah" her voice was barely audible, it croaked with heart ache, and tears that will no doubt be shed. "We need to talk" his beautiful features dropped, but his eyes were filled with understanding. "I know" he said simply. "W-we can't see each other anymore, I'm sorry, this shouldn't have happened" another delicate tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto their interlocked hands, the perfect tear drop shattered, much like her heart. "I understand, but please Ces, don't dismiss what happened between us as a mistake. We both know it wasn't. I'm sorry it has to end like this, that I got you involved, but I'm not sorry for falling in love with you" tears now began to well in his eyes, she gently placed a hand on his cheek, wishing so desperately to kiss him. She mouthed the words 'I love you so much' to him, completely unable to speak now; the heart ache was just too much.

He stood up, pulling her up with him. Their hands still firmly intertwined. He started walking towards her front door. With each step, another piece of her heart shattered, new tears formed in their eyes and her grip on his hand got tighter. The tears began to fall down his face now as he reached the front door. Adanna was stood a few metres behind them in the hallway, so that she was there to comfort her friend. He turned to face her, placing a hand on her cheek and wiping any tears that fell. "I love you Francesca Montoya, always" "and forever" she replied simply, before leaning in for one last farewell kiss, a kiss that was filled with all of the love she had for him. Tears were streaming freely down both of their faces, as he turned to leave, her grasp on his hand becoming looser as he slipped through her fingers and closed the door behind him.

She fell to the ground almost instantly, feeling the loss of him as an almost physical pain. It felt like a hole had been punched through her chest. Adanna rethought what she had done, still hoping it was for the best, but at the sight of her friend as a quivering heartbroken mess on the floor, she wasn't too sure.

A few days passed. She had not seen or heard from him, but then again, what did she expect? She had to put him to the back of her mind, in fact, she should forget him completely. She had been trying to convince herself that it was for the best, that what they did was wrong, but she couldn't help but be assaulted from memories of happier times; every time they had kissed, touched, made love, and her favourite memory of all, Paris. The moment he told her he loved her.

Today was Monday, her first day back at work. Adanna had really been there for her over the weekend, a true friend and a shoulder to cry on. No doubt she would be there for her today too. It was going to be tough, but she could rely on Jonah to take the mature approach, and that he did. She barely saw him, only in passing, but she had double year 12 boys Spanish at the end of the day, that was going to be awkward.

Lunchtime came around quite quickly; she sat next to Adanna in the staffroom and tried to pay attention to the conversations around her. It was an impossible task as her mind was well and truly elsewhere. It didn't go unnoticed by her best friend, Cesca had been a shadow of herself since he had left, she had never seen her like this, not once. It was strange, her usually vibrant, bubbly friend was no more. Instead this empty vessel filled her place. "How're you coping?" she whispered in her ear, she put on a fake smile "I'm fine" Adanna raised her eyebrow, clearly not fooled, she knew her too well "Riiiight, you have his class next don't you?" she asked, she simply nodded in response. "It'll be okay Ces, the first time will be the hardest, but it will get easier I promise" she said with a reassuring smile.

She took a deep breath as she entered her classroom; she was a little late so the class were already inside. She avoided looking over at his table and walked straight to her desk. She greeted the class and began taking the register. As she got closer to his name, her heart began to race as it had done a thousand times. "Jonah Kirby?" there was no response "Jonah?" this time she had to look up, she was greeted by an empty seat. Her racing heart sank, while Ronan tried to remember the excuse he had given him. He couldn't face her, couldn't face the woman that had broken his heart. Who could blame him?


	21. Chapter 21

**Cesca**

Her heart ached every moment she was not with him, but she knew she should try and get over him, think of the future, not the past. That didn't stop her mind from wondering why he hadn't turned up for her lessons in over a week, well she had an idea, but she wanted to know what he was thinking, how he was feeling, if he hated her? She could probably answer all of those questions herself but Jonah did constantly surprise her. She sighed as she was bombarded with memories of the plans for the future they had joked about, wishing all too much that they were possible now.

It was just after lunch on a Monday, as usual she had her year 12 boys, she wondered fleetingly if he would actually be there, the thought was interrupted as she opened her classroom door. His eyes instantly found hers, the sadness she saw there tore her heart in two, but she realised her eyes must mirror his. She had been hoping, wishing, that he would come, but now that he had she wished he hadn't. All of the feelings she had managed to supress from that night came flooding back, the absolute undying love she felt for him returned with vengeance, it made her stomach twist with butterflies, her heart race and her breathing quicken. She both hated and loved the fact he still had this hold on her. She broke their gaze and walked to the front of the classroom, keeping her eyes on everything, anything but him. She set the class a task and they got on with their work, clearly sensing she was in no mood to be tested. She tried to get on with some marking, but it was impossible knowing that he was just a mere 5 metres away, it killed her.

"What's up mate you haven't seemed yourself in ages?" She could hear Ronan quite clearly, the rest of the class were quiet and he wasn't the best whisperer. "Nothing" he replied with an expressionless face "Alright, sorry for asking" Ronan was a little taken aback by the acid in his voice. "Sorry mate, it's just been a rough couple of weeks" "You're acting like you've been dumped or something" he replied jokingly, not realising he had hit the nail on the head, yet another dagger in her heart. She could see him clench his fists and wince at the words, she had to intervene "What's going on at the back?" she asked in her Miss Montoya voice. "Nothing miss, Jonah's having lady trouble" "Shut up" he snapped back "Why? I'm sure Miss Montoya has broken a few hearts in her time. Haven't you miss?" he said with a cheeky grin. '_Oh Ronan, you harmless fool'_ she thought. She could see the anger and sadness in his eyes, his knuckles turning white from the intensity he was clenching his fists, this wasn't going to end well, she had never seen him so angry.

**Jonah**

He wished he had carried on avoiding her, at least then he wouldn't have this new heart ache. His anger was boiling over, it wasn't so much at Ronan, he didn't really know what he was saying, but more at the situation, the mess his life was in. He had to leave, get out of the room before he did something he would regret. He was on his feet and out of the door in seconds; he left her with tears she couldn't shed. He sprinted down the corridor as fast as he could, dashing passed a worried looking Adanna, she called after him but he ignored her and carried on running, through the main school doors and out of the gates. He stopped around the corner and sat on the ground with his legs tucked up to his chest, in an attempt to subdue the constant ache he felt in his chest. Of course it didn't work, nothing did.

**Cesca**

He surprised her again. She simply sat there in shock, not quite knowing what to do. A worried and confused looking Adanna walked in the room and asked her for a quiet word outside. Once she was outside her classroom, and out of view from the students, the tears broke the barrier. "I can't do this anymore Adanna" she sobbed as her friend tried to comfort her with a hug. "What's happened love?" "I can't do it, face him every day, knowing that I can't be with him, seeing the hurt and sadness in his eyes is enough to kill me, I just, I just cant." "What do you mean? What are you going to do?" She didn't reply, she just walked off down the corridor and towards Karen's office, leaving a confused Adanna and an unsupervised group of Year 12's.

She explained to Karen that she needed some personal time off due to family illness, and that she had to fly out to Spain to be there. Karen was sympathetic to the young teacher and granted her as much time as she needed, little did she know that she had no intention of returning. She couldn't hurt him anymore, hurt herself anymore. She hoped that the distance would do her good, maybe help her forget him, although she knew he would always hold a piece of her heart. Always and forever.

She left school early, returning home to pack her belongings quickly. She had managed to get on a last minute flight to Barcelona that left later that evening. She would miss Rochdale terribly, her friends, the school, the students, everything, but it was something she needed to do for herself.

Back at school, Adanna had a meeting to attend with Karen. They didn't get along very well. It wasn't that they didn't like each other; it was more the fact that they had two very strong personalities and opinions that often clashed. Karen tried to make small talk, she thought of some common ground they shared "So it's a shame about Cesca's Auntie" "What?" "Her Auntie, she's been taken ill… Cesca's is flying over to Spain tonight to see her… did you not know?" "Excuse me Karen I have to go"

All of the pieces clicked in her head, why didn't she see it before? She hadn't realised that her friend had felt so strongly about him, so strongly as to leave the country, leave her friends, her job. She had presumed it was a fling, that they only thought they were in love and that the distance from one another would make them realise it was simply lust, forbidden fruit. She knew now that it wasn't, in a way she had always known. She needed to act fast. There was only one person she knew that could convince her to stay, and that person had ran out of the school and could be anywhere by now. '_Bugger' _she thought to herself.

Luckily for her, he hadn't gone too far. She gave him the short version of events and saw the look of horror on his face at the thought of losing her entirely. They got in her car and made their way to her house. Her car wasn't outside and there was no answer on the door. He looked entirely defeated, heartbroken. She really felt for him, it must be such a difficult situation to be in. She couldn't believe she had split them up when it was so obvious how strongly they felt for each other.

They headed for Manchester Airport in a last ditched attempt to find her, hoping against hope that they weren't too late. She was slipping through his fingers like she had that dark night. He would never forgive himself if he let her go, without even trying to convince her to stay. He wasn't sure what the future held for them, but he knew that he couldn't live without her being near him, regardless of them being allowed to be together or not.

They dashed through the airport, looking at all of the departure times trying to determine which flight she would be on. He remembered back to one rainy Saturday afternoon, they were lying on her sofa talking about anything and everything; she spoke of her childhood in Barcelona. Barcelona! Gate 7. He was significantly faster Adanna. When he got to the gate, he couldn't see her through the rows of people, but her musical tone stood out from the noise, she was about to board. He ran with all the power and will in his body, it couldn't end this way.

"Cesca!" he called out to her, she turned around to be immediately greeted by his embrace. He was out of breath and his voice was choked with emotion, but the words were clear to her, "I love you, please don't go"


	22. Chapter 22

**Cesca**

She had it all planned in her head, get on the plane and hope her troubles were left behind her. Now there was a new factor, he was stood in right in front of her, with his hands on her waist and his pleading eyes searching her face. "Jonah, we can't, you know we can't" "But Ces…" she wriggled free of his embrace only to be pulled back once more. He locked his lips with hers, and kissed her with all of the feeling, the love left in his body. She couldn't help but respond much to the distaste of the onlookers; they had forgotten they were in an airport, wrapped up in their own little bubble.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Adanna and immediately removed herself from him. Her friend paced towards them, she couldn't read the expression that was strewn across her face, it was a mixture between relief, conflict and happiness. As Adanna reached them, Jonah reached down to interlock her fingers with his. She was overcome with something that she hadn't felt in a while, the feeling that often came with Jonah's presence, protection, hope, but most importantly love. "Please don't leave Ces, I'm sorry. Please don't go" a tear escaped her usually emotionally strong friend's face. It was all such a mess; she knew she couldn't be without him so leaving would be the simplest option right? Wrong. How could she think she could just forget the feelings, the love they shared?

"But Adanna… W-what about me and Jonah? What happens now? What about me and you?" she grasped his hand tighter in anticipation of the answers; her words were a blur and seemed to join together. Her mind was blank, she felt utterly helpless and child-like, feeling the need to be guided in every decision she made. There was a long awkward pause; Adanna's gaze was one of confusion, switching between their interlocked hands and their love filled eyes. "Maybe we should get back to the house and talk about this more privately" Adanna had noticed the increasing number of staring eyes, she subtly indicated to Cesca who hesitantly nodded in agreement.

It was an awkwardly quiet journey, with each individual consumed in their own thoughts. Thoughts of the past, the present but predominantly the future. It was completely unknown to her; she didn't know what was going through her best friends head. Hell, she hardly knew what was going through hers, her thoughts were whizzing around her head like a whirlpool.

They arrived at her house not too long after, the eerie silence continued until they were in the safe, private confines of her living room. Her heart beat was reaching new heights out of anticipation, or fear, maybe a bit of both. Adanna was the first to speak, after all, the ball remained firmly in her court. "I don't really know where to begin… I can honestly say this is definitely the most difficult position I've ever been in" Cesca looked down out of guilt, she never meant to hurt anyone least of all Adanna, that's why she tried to flee, abandon the whole situation, but by doing that she hurt _him._ The one person she couldn't imagine hurting. She sighed quietly to herself, but he overheard it and instinctively took her hand into his. It instantly calmed her frantic mind, oddly filling her with a sense of calm, in a less than calming situation.

Adanna continued "It's quite obvious that you can't cope without each other, you've both been wrecks the past couple of weeks, and well you tried to leave the country… Oh god, I really don't know what to do" The awkward silence was back again, Adanna's features were consumed with thought. Cesca looked deeply into his eyes, the eyes that she had missed so very much, the eyes that belonged to the man she loved. It was a look that spoke a thousand words, yet none were uttered, no words were needed. They were startled out of their moment by Adanna's voice. "I have a deal to make with you" her eyes were directed towards Jonah, he grasped her hand tighter "Anything" he replied simply. "I believe that you are mature enough to handle this, in fact you have proved you are. So I am willing to make a compromise. You are a good student Jonah, and it would be a shame to let this get in the way of it. So, if your grade slips even slightly in any subject, this ends until it is back up. Okay?" "Of course thank you" his eyes lit up in that 'jonah way' that she was so fond of. "And, if worse comes to worst, I have no prior knowledge about this, right?" Cesca answered this time, he seemed to have frozen in shock. "Of course Adanna, thank you" she stood up and gave her friend a hug before seeing her out.

She closed the door and gently rested her back against it, replaying the evening over and over again in her head, still unable to comprehend what had happened. He came out of the living room and stood in front of her, slowly raising his hand and placing it gently on her cheek. She closed the gap between them and caught his lips in a searing kiss, which he welcomed and returned.

They curled up on the sofa, thriving from the warmth and the comfort they gained from one another's presence. The crackling fire and the dimmed lights enhanced the beautiful climax of what could have been a horrible day. Her prince charming softly kissed the top of her head and whispered 'I love you' into her ear, it sent shivers down her spine and made her pulse rise like it always did. She realised that it always would, even when they were old and grey, as long as it came from him. "Always" she replied simply.


	23. Chapter 23

**Cesca**

The world rotated giving way to new months, new months to new seasons. Summer was by far Cesca's favourite time of year, it reminded her of her homeland, Spain. Things between her and Jonah had been going brilliantly, they were falling more and more in love each day. Adanna was also very much apart of their little family now, it took time, and at first it was a little bit awkward, but now, it too was perfect.

The month was June, also known as the sixth form's worst nightmare. It was the month where futures were decided, ambitions met, or dreams crushed. For one handsome Year 13 though, the decisions he made this month were all the more important and difficult. He was guaranteed A's and A*'s that much was sure, he had his pick of universities, which his fellow classmates could only dream of, so what could be difficult? He was in love, pure and simple, unconditional love. She had risked her whole life for him, and now he had to change his life for her in return.

They planned to start again in a new city. Jonah would be attending university there to study paramedic science, and Cesca would be applying for a new teaching post. The only thing left to decide was the location, it had to be far enough away that no one would recognise them. This was hard on her, she didnt want to leave her friends behind, especially Adanna after all that they had been through, yet she knew in order to be with him, officially, properly, she had to do it. He hated seeing the sadness in her eyes everytime they discussed it, he saw the glimmer of unshed tears. He wanted nothing more than for it to be simple, to think of a solution where they could be open about their relationship, but still have their friends and family, he was determined to, no matter how much she told him there was no point.

It was the weekend, they were sat on her sofa, her legs were strewn across his, and his head was stuck in a book revising for something or other. She simply sat there admiring his adorable concentration face, enjoying spending time with him even if he wasnt really _there_. Every now and then he would look up, flash his signature grin and get right back to work.She too decided to get on with some work, but with him there, her concentration was non-exsistant. She placed her books and folders on the table and sat on his lap, playfully kissing his neck, trying to gain some form of response from him. Her plan succeeded as he sighed, letting out a cheeky grin as he did so. Returning the kisses he gently pushed her into the sofa and certainly brightened up her morning ;)

There was a sudden bang as they both fell to the floor, giggling. Turns out the sofa wasnt the best place to lay next to each other. The bang on the head though helped him realised something, it had been staring him right in the face this whole time, all he had to do now was put this newly formulated plan into action.

The exams were over in a flash, too quickly for his liking, and hers, it meant that soon they would have to make the decision. Little did she know that Jonah had a plan of his own. He had set up a meeting with Karen Fisher for the following week, he had heard through the grapevine (Cesca) that they were looking for a person to be 'on-site first aider' which he was more than qualified for and would double as his work experience for uni. That way they could stay local, which would keep his father and Adanna happy, but start their relationship over publicly.

The future had suddenly become alot brighter for the pair, they would face new challenges and new obsticles, but most of all, there would be no more hiding and no more lies, a prospect he was most looking forward to.


	24. Chapter 24

**Karen**

There was exactly two months left of the school year. A calm serenity had fallen over waterloo road, the exams had finished and the summer holidays grew ever closer. She loved this time of year, the kids were better behaved and the teachers were less stressed, not to mention the six week long holiday that was way overdue.

She had high hopes for the A-level students this year, Jess and Bex included. They too were in the higher end of the spectrum along with Vicky, Aidan and Jonah, Jonah in particular. His father has done a fine job with his and Ruth's education. Jonah was already at the stage of under-graduate education when he arrived here, so she was almost certain he would be achieving A's and A*'s this coming august.

There was a feint knock at the door that startled her out of her reverie; another thing she loved about this time of year was the ever shrinking workload. "Come in" she shouted in her professional monotone. The door slowly opened and in walked in a very smart, suited and booted Jonah Kirby, he looked quite nervous which was unusual for a usually confident young man. "Hello Mrs Fisher" his voice was shaky. She was baffled. "Hello Jonah, come in, take a seat" She wasn't entirely sure why he had set up this meeting, he was 'free' so to speak, from school now so what could it be? Her question was soon answered. "I suppose you are wondering why I asked to meet with you" He gave off a nervous laugh, she simply smiled. "Well, as you know, I'm going to be attending university in September" Right then she knew exactly where this was going, already having similar conversations twice this week. "My degree is very work experience based, and I heard from a reliable source that you were looking for an onsite first aid…" she cut his sentence short, "Yes" the biggest grin spread across his face, it was a mixture of joy and disbelief "Really?" he asked. She simply nodded and said "the job's yours, when can you start?" he was completely flabbergasted, another quality she liked about him, he was very modest and unaware of how brilliant he truly was. "Erm, well I" he was rendered practically speechless, the future that was so opaque had suddenly become a wonderful, transparent technicolour paradise. "As soon as you need me, thank you Mrs Fisher" "Please, Jonah, call me Karen. After all… we are colleagues now" she replied with a sincere smile on her face.

"We'll have Janeece draw you up a contract, but there is no reason for you not to start tomorrow, if that's alright with you of course. Do you have plans for today of could you stick around for a bit?" she was actually quite excited about the new additions to the staff now, she thought that they would bring a certain youthful quality to the staffroom, maybe even perk Grantly up a little bit. She knew the other members of the staff would welcome them with open arms. She planned to announce it at break time to the staff, and introduce Jonah to them on a first name basis and of course tell them of the other new arrivals. She would announce it in assembly to the rest of the school when all the new staff was there. "Yeah I'm free" he said with a much more relaxed smile now. They had left her office now and were making their way to the staffroom; he sent a quick text to Cesca so she didn't get freaked out by him being led in there by Karen, simply saying 'I'll explain later'.

Cesca seemed to receive it just as they entered the staffroom, the look of horror as she saw them, then relief after she read the text was priceless. Karen had a very proud smile on her face; Jonah looked pretty pleased with himself too. Adanna looked over towards Cesca and gave her a look as if to say 'what the hell is going on'; she simply shrugged her shoulders because in truth, she had no clue. "Okay everyone I have an announcement to make" the staff stopped their idle chitchat at the sound of their boss's voice. "As of tomorrow, we shall have new additions to the staff" Cesca was looking at Jonah suspiciously, he gave her a discrete smile that made her heart race like it always did. "Many of you already know, but in case you don't, this is Jonah Kirby, our new on-site first aider. He is going to be a great asset to the school and I am sure you shall all welcome him with open arms." Now she was definitely confused, what on earth has he got planned? She was completely baffled but at the same time, quite liking where his plan seemed to be heading.

"As well as Jonah, Ronan Burley will be joining as the assistant P.E coach and Jess will be joining as a teaching assistant, although they will not be starting until Monday" Jonah's smile had widened, the prospect of starting his new job seemed a little less daunting when he knew two of his closest friends would be there too. Karen formally introduced him to all of the staff one by one so they were all now on a first name basis, when they got to Adanna and Cesca, it was admittedly strange, calling them by their first names in public. He had done it a thousand times before but more privately, more secretively, he found a quiet joy in doing it now though, a joy that mirrored Cesca's. In his mind, it was the first step to the rest of their lives.

After break time, Karen showed him to his new office, it wasn't too big, nor too small, it was just right. It was simply decorated with pale blue walls and white ceiling, in one corner sat a desk and above it was a vast amount of cabinets of all shapes and sizes, in the other corner, there was a patient bed. He loved how quickly everything was moving, he'd only been in school for an hour and he already had a job, office and he had met all of his new colleagues. He just hoped that Cesca would like his idea and agree to go along with it. She did wear the trousers after all.

The future for the young lovers had become that much clearer and brighter, providing she agreed of course which he secretly knew she would. There were a few obstacles in the road, but once they were out of the way, they could finally embark on their lives together, with no more secrets, and no more lies.


	25. Chapter 25

**Cesca**

She was in complete awe of him, of how he had effortlessly made friends with those, which only a few weeks ago were the authority figures in his life. Tom and Chris seemed to have welcomed him with open arms. All three of them were fully immersed in conversation; the older men were thriving from the young man's presence, and Jonah was simply enjoying the intelligent conversation. He had always been on a higher level than his classmates; he had the mind of a 30 year old on the body of an 18 year old. This was the main attraction for her; of course he was attractive on the outside, beautiful in fact, but if he in any way acted like the other members of year 13, nothing would have happened between them.

She still didn't fully understand what was going on, but she loved him and trusted him completely. He wasn't the kind of person to do something on a whim, so she was sure he would have considered ever possible scenario, every possible complication.

It was the last lesson of the day. She had a free period so took the opportunity to wind down in the calm serenity of her empty classroom. She kicked off her heels to give her poor feet a rest and idly flicked through some year 7 work books. It had been a slightly stressful day; each class seemed to be getting rowdier than the last, although seeing Jonah in the staffroom soothed her somewhat. All she wanted to do now was go home with her man, but of course they would have to leave separately. She was startled out of her reverie by a knock at the door; it was a few of the teachers. "Hey Ces, fancy going for a drink after school? Welcome Jonah officially?" "Sure, I would love to" It was all so surreal; she was going out for a drink... With Jonah... in public... with her friends? Admittedly not how she wanted to, she wanted everyone to know about them, accept them. He was the greatest thing to ever happen in her life and she wanted the whole world to know it, the secrecy and the lies made it seem like she was ashamed, but she wasn't, far from it in fact.

All of the pieces seemed to simultaneously fit together in her head, all of those chats they had had about university and where their futures lay, the look on his face at the prospect of her having to give up her whole life for him (which she was more than willing to do). He had changed his plans for her, so that they could both be happy, be together in public, live their lives without constantly looking over their shoulders. It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her. It wasn't a physically trinket or any other cliché. It proved that he had considered her entirely, picked up on the vibes she was unintentionally sending out, and it made her love him all the more.

She slowly made her way down to the staffroom to collect her coat. All but one member of staff had already left for the pub and of course it was the one member she wanted to see, _her _Jonah. He hadn't noticed that she had walked in but he was presumably waiting for her. She was pretty sure no one would come in this late in the day so snuck up behind him; she wrapped her arms around his muscular chest and kissed him on the cheek. He was slightly startled at first but soon reciprocated the love by pulling her onto his lap and kissing her passionately. "Well, I never thought we would be doing that in here" he giggled as she buried her head into his chest, holding him as close as possible "Thank you, Jonah" she whispered, almost inaudibly. No other words were needed, he held her a little closer, the electricity pulsing through one another stronger than ever before.

"Maybe we should head off to the pub… I mean we have been sat here for 20 minutes" he suggested, a muffled giggle came from out of his chest and she began to stand, he attempts were stopped as he drew her closer to him once more for one final passionate kiss that left them both breathless. They had to act like strangers again now – not for long though she thought to herself, with the biggest smile imaginable upon her face.


	26. Chapter 26

**Cesca**

They both got into their separate cars and headed towards the local pub. All they really wanted to do was go home and cuddle up on the sofa, but he could hardly skip his welcome drinks, and it would look far too suspicious already if they both didn't turn up. This was normal after school routine for Cesca, something she had done hundreds of times, but for Jonah it was a completely new experience. It was the first step in the direction of their new lives together and neither could wait.

He arrived there first; he was greeted with hugs, handshakes and offers of drinks. Everyone had fully embraced him as a member of their school 'family' and she couldn't be more happy or proud. She arrived not long after him, sitting in the only remaining seat, which just so happened to be next to her man so she couldn't complain. The drinks flowed and the laughs were plentiful. Even Grantly was enjoying himself, which was a complete and utter marvel.

Being with Jonah in public felt like the most natural thing in the world, further proof that they were made for one another. Although it was completely surreal, when they first embarked on this relationship neither had even imagined this scenario could become reality. They had hoped beyond hope that it would, but of course in the forefront of their minds they constantly dwelled on the negative possibilities; separation, courts and imprisonment.

Her heart raced and her breathing quickened the same as it always did when he was around, but this time it was joined by a new sensation. The adrenalin that coursed through her veins was creating this phenomenal filling within the very core of her being. This was the risky move they had ever taken, being so close to danger yet so close to freedom all at the same time. It both excited and scared her. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or worried. One false move could ruin everything, and by everything, she meant her entire life, everything she had spent her life working towards, left her homeland for. This possibility had been there before, but for some reason she never pictured it happening.

She was brought back to reality by a soft, caring hand being placed on her knee, a hand she was very familiar with. His action were unnoticeable by anyone else at the table, she gave a slight smile of gratitude. Her mind was running away with itself, but that simple gesture was enough to ease her racing mind, and calm her frantic heart.

The chemistry they had shared from the moment they met one another was shining through and dripping off of every word they spoke. They were being very subtle, asking questions at though they didn't know each other, being sure to act like strangers. The undeniable chemistry didn't go unnoticed by some of the other members of staff, Ruby nudged Tom's arm to grab his attention. "Looks like those two are hitting it off" she said, tilting her head in Cesca and Jonah's direction. Tom looked towards them and half-heartedly replied "Yeah". He felt a twinge of jealousy erupt through him. Though he and Cesca had never been an item, he had always had a thing for her, he just hadn't admitted it. He tried to make it pretty obvious and he was sure she knew, but she always just seemed to dismiss it, he was grateful though that she always let him down gently. Ruby hadn't noticed his dismay; she was blinded by the potential staffroom romance "Think they'll get together? He's a good looking lad and Cesca is well… Cesca" "Beautiful" he whispered "Huh? Did you say something?" "Give the kid a chance Ruby, he's only just got here" another twinge in his side, he had only just got there, yet he seemed to have gotten further with her in 9 hours than he had in over a year.

"Well I best be off, I have work in the morning" Jonah said, which was greeted by a roar of laughter. "Thanks for a lovely evening everyone, it's been great getting to know you all, see you tomorrow" and with that he left. She knew he would be waiting at her house for her when she got back and she couldn't wait. But first she had to wait an appropriate amount of time before she left too. Adanna gave her a coy smile, which she returned. The conversation of course was based solely on the newbie and everyone's verdict was incredibly positive. "He seems like such a lovely and genuine guy" this came from Ruby, "Nice enough lad, he'll fit in well" said Chris and comments such as these just continued flowing, each one making her heart burst with more pride. That was _her_ man they were talking about, her gorgeous boyfriend that they had welcomed so openly, and she couldn't be happier.

She left about 10 minutes after him. Soon arriving at her house, she applied the parking brake of her little Renault Clio and headed inside. She kicked off her heals in the hallway and placed her keys on the table. She walked towards the dim glow of her living room and soon settled into the place where she belonged, where she had longed to be all day. He gently planted a kiss on the top of her head as she snuggled up to him, her head buried deeply into his chest, thriving from the contact once more and inhaling his scent. She was finally in the arms of her Prince Charming after a rather long, exciting day and she couldn't have been happier.


	27. Chapter 27

**Jonah**

The last few weeks of term passed in no time, and before they knew it, it was the summer holidays. Each day had seemed like a dream, they had grown closer and closer in their 'professional friendship', and he truly felt like part of the family now, jess and Ronan too. They had all fitted in perfectly, offering their own unique qualities to the group dynamic. He fell more in love with her each passing second, but as their fake relationship grew, he couldn't help but feel guilty. With how they got together, they never had that first date that gives you goose bumps, or a proper first kiss that sets your whole world alight... He didn't regret a single second that he had spent with her, of course he didn't, but this time he wanted to do it properly.

They had had a lovely, romantic candlelit meal; he reached across the table and took her hand into his own, making small circles with his thumb. "Ces?" he said softly, "Yes baby?" "I've been thinking…" "Go on..." she encouraged "Well, that maybe we shouldn't move in together just yet..." "What? Why?" she panicked, a look of sheer horror overcame her face, his tone remained soothing, in an attempt to calm her "are you... ending it?" she whispered, almost afraid of the answer she would receive. He answered immediately to reassure her "Of course not Ces, that's the last thing I want to do... I love you" he said with the smile she loved so much. "I love you too, so why can't we move in together?" "Well I thought that maybe, this time we could do it properly, have a proper first date, first kiss, first everything else.. Well I know it wouldn't be the first, but, more official" "We still could have all of that" her features had lifted somewhat, but not quite back to her usual self. "I want to do it properly Ces, meaning actually picking you up for the first date, not just leaving the house together.. I want it to be special, more meaningful" her head dropped in thought, he continued to caress her hand, subconsciously showing that he would always be there for her and did truly love her. Several minutes passed, neither had uttered a word. Her face was still etched with contemplation, his was beginning to be filled with worry, maybe he was wrong? His thoughts were interrupted when she flashed him her smile that only ever appeared when he was around, a smile he was very familiar with, the smile he loved. "I guess.. We could work something out" she winked.

The new school year was soon approaching, it was a bit surreal for him, attending university, but also returning to the school he had left each day too, luckily he had two other people that understood. Jonah, Ronan and Jess had all been offered a place at Manchester University. As it was close to home, they all decided to rent an apartment to share. It was subtly decorated, and very modern. They wanted independence but their parents certainly helped, they loved the fact their children hadn't ventured too far from the nest, so they were helping out as much as possible, including paying the down payment on their swanky new flat, every students dream. For Jonah though, the best part about it was that it was still close to Cesca, just a quick 5 minute drive to be with the one he loved.

They had been seeing each other as much as possible while they still had free time, they were also seen out a lot together by pupils and staff, some rumours had already begun to circulate, but this time, they had nothing to worry about. They no longer had to look over their shoulders every 5 seconds just in case they got caught, as far as everyone else was concerned they were just two friends going out places together. Once they thought an appropriate amount of 'get to know each other' time had passed, enough for them to say develop feelings for one another in their pretend relationship, they would have their inside woman Adanna tell Ruby and Grantly, the biggest staffroom gossips.

They could do this, he knew they could. They had a bond stronger than the toughest steel, and a love that burnt to the intensity of the sun. They could do this.


	28. Chapter 28

**Cesca**

It was the day before the beginning of a new school year. She looked over towards her man who was sleeping soundly beside her. He looked so peaceful and content that she couldn't bring herself to wake him. Instead, she cuddled up closer to him, placing her head gently on his bare chest. She could hear his soft breathing, and feel his heart beating; she honestly thought she could stay like that forever. In fact, she _wanted_ to stay like that forever.

From tomorrow they would have to act like strangers again, like they once were so many months ago. She couldn't help but be amazed by how far they had come in such a small space of time. Student and teacher, to lovers and now.. Soul mates.

Her fingertips lightly grazed down his bare chest, to his ribs, where she found the silky smooth straight line scar. She slowly caressed it back and forth with a smile on her lips. This small patch of healed skin resembled the defining moment in their relationship, it was their first kiss and the first time they made love, all rolled into one. It was the moment that she finally accepted her feelings for him. It also just so happened to be his most ticklish spot. He begun to stir under her caresses and she felt the low rumble of a chuckle erupt out of his chest.

"Morning, Beautiful" he whispered softly, with a sweet smile. "Morning, sleepyhead" she replied. He sat up slightly, bringing her up with him. His hands cupped her beautiful face as he brought his lips to hers. They shared a spell-binding kiss that showed all of the passion and love they have for one another. It was sort of a bitter-sweet moment.. she loved the feelings that it brought her, but at the same time, she knew that it was one of the last kisses she would share with him for a while.

After today, they would hardly be seeing each other, only at work for 6 hours a day. Even then they could only act like colleagues, friends. It wouldn't be like last time though. Last time when she had to pretend to hardly know him, there was always the risk that she could be arrested, arrested for falling in love, as stupid as that sounds. But now, she could sleep easy, they had overcome the hardest hurdle they would ever have to face. If they were found out now, it would just seem like they were friends that maybe rushed into a relationship too quickly, that she could deal with, handcuff's she could not.

He noticed the glazed, distant look in her eyes and gently stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. She refocused her eyes on the chocolate brown orbs that had captured her heart long ago, as he softly whispered "You worry too much" and kissed her once more. Soon all of her worries were forgotten, as the all-consuming passion that they shared re-ignited once more.

…

She must have nodded off again after their bedroom antics, but she was woken from her mid-morning nap by a delicious aroma gracing her senses. She allowed her legs to flop over the side of the bed and sat up, her toes curled under the feel of her soft carpet and she gently placed on her silk dressing gown. She descended the stairs and followed her nose to the kitchen, where she found the source of the delicious aroma. It was a good job that one of them could cook, he always joked that if it was up to her, they would definitely get food poisoning, which earned him a smack on the arm.

As she walked down the hallway, she could see Jonah in front of the oven in nothing but his boxers, spatula in hand, dancing to the radio. She leaned against the doorframe and simply watched, attempting to stifle the laughter that was sure to come. He spun around on the spot and noticed his girlfriend giggling behind him. He danced his way towards her and gently took both of her hands within his, spinning her around so that her back was flush against his chest and their arms were wrapped around her. They swayed in perfect time to the music and he held her closer in the embrace. "Oh I do love you Jonah Kirby…" she whispered breathlessly.


End file.
